


so scary, getting old

by ninamyyly



Series: we can make it so divine [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Acxa & Keith (Voltron) are Siblings, Alpha Shiro (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Bigotry & Prejudice, Boys in dresses, Canonical Character Death, Child Keith (Voltron), Child Neglect, Feminine Titles for Omegas, Feminization, Gen, Growing Up, Implied Mpreg, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron)-centric, Kuron & Shiro (Voltron) are Twins, Kuron is Ryou (Voltron), Letters, M/M, Magic, Minor Allura/Lotor (Voltron), Minor Character Death, Minor Kuron/Lance (Voltron), Omega Allura (Voltron), Omega Keith (Voltron), Omega Verse, POV Third Person Limited, Political Alliances, Politics, Prophetic Visions, Starvation, Teen Keith (Voltron), Unreliable Narrator, Visions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:34:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 110,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25787416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninamyyly/pseuds/ninamyyly
Summary: When Keith, at the age of five, is able to prevent his sister's death because he foresaw it happen, he is suddenly whisked away from the only life he's ever known. As the Boy of the Crossroads, blessed by both Life and Death with a special destiny, Keith's thrown into the political games of his little island home of Marmora that longs for independence; Altea where he grows close to the Princess; and Atlas that hopes to form alliances to protect itself from the looming threat of neighboring Daibazaal with its kind but sickly younger prince. Keith is determined to forge his own path and not remain a pawn, but what chance does a young Omega have to really impact anything, especially his own life, in a world that won't listen?
Relationships: Allura & Keith (Voltron), Keith & Keith's Family (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Series: we can make it so divine [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870708
Comments: 147
Kudos: 219





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is Part One of my very self-indulgent Omegaverse Royals AU :3. This fic deals with Keith's childhood and youth, before...well, before ;).
> 
> Fair warning in that Omegas in this world are very feminized. They wear dresses and they have feminine titles ("lady", "queen", etc.). I did wonder if I should try and cater to a wider audience by not doing that, but this time I just wanted to spoil myself and be true to what I want ;).
> 
> Special thanks to @leandralena FireWindmill and for beta-reading! ❤︎. I hope you all enjoy!

_On the First Day, Life came and brought Light_

_On the Second, Victory came and defeated Dark_

_On the Third, Luck came and blessed People_

_On the Fourth, Wisdom came and helped Them_

_On the Fifth, Death came and ended Misery_

_On the Sixth, Wealth came and gave Back_

_On the Seventh, Beauty came and added Grace_

_On the Eighth, Power came and made Kingdoms_

_On the Ninth, Love came and created Generations_

_**~The Blessings of the Nine, Daibazaal Version 71** _

...

This winter is the coldest one Keith can remember.

The Isle of Marmora is a harsh place to live in the best of times. The seasons as Keith knows them barely change, all of them weighed down by mist, cold, and hunger. Even at five, Keith knows each corner of his small island, from the arid fields to the small patches of forests, from the mines to the rocky beaches, to the Regent Castle of stones he and his people call home. Very little food grows out here, but Keith knows all the spots and places to gather what little there is and where to grow the crops that can survive the weather conditions. Acxa has been bringing him along to gather for as long as he can remember, while the grownups burrow themselves underground to mine for the metals, coal and minerals that Keith never gets to see. It all either goes outside of Marmora or to Thace’s workshop, where he’s not allowed to step a foot in.

The winds rattle at the windows of the bedchamber shared by Keith’s family. The stone walls do very little to keep out the cold, and even under the covers as he currently is, Keith feels the way the wind bites into his skin. He shivers out of sheer instinct, even though such a small movement makes his weary body ache. The chill can almost be smelled in the walls, like ice forming.

The fire in the room went out hours ago. Keith can barely even smell the embers now. They’re not supposed to be lit when the adults are gone, both to save wood and because he and Acxa aren’t old enough to handle fire on their own. They should be out gathering whatever they can to add to their ever-diminishing food reserves right now as well, but this morning when Keith woke, he felt he had no strength to rise. Even the hunger has stopped growling in his stomach. All that is left is a hollow, empty feeling that leaves his body heavy and limp. Like the way Elder Merrick was the last morning Keith ever saw him. Before the adults burned him and put his ashes in the ground.

Acxa’s been trying to cheer him up, always his constant. His protector, more so than their parents sometimes since they spend all day, every day together. After she gave up on trying to get him up to join her in gathering – Keith thinks there’s no point in it anyway, they haven’t found anything in days. Even the adults know it, otherwise they wouldn’t have let Keith stay in bed. She’s been singing to him even though all it does is hurt his ears, trying to get him to pray for Wealth with her for better days and good fortunes, repeating the stories the elders tell them at night by the fire when they return from the mines.

But although Keith’s found her attention equally irritating and warming, he hasn’t been able to bring himself to do anything more than look at her direction in a way of response. And that only serves to further remind him of how awful he feels, because even wrapped up in her coat as she is, Acxa keeps shivering in her seat, and her breaths come out shallow and visible. Her cheeks have become thin and sunken with hunger and her blue complexion is pale even in the soft light of the candle, almost resembling snow on the ground. All warmth seems to be gone from her scent, too, leaving it thin and sickly, like curdled milk, and the thought makes Keith even more nauseous.

She’s finally shut her mouth for the moment. Keith’s not sure how long it has lasted. He keeps falling in and out of sleep in the quiet. Perhaps she’s pissed he’s not responding to any of her attempts. Perhaps she’s just tried too. Keith only wishes she’d leave him alone and let him sleep. Let him rest until springtime comes and they can gather better and there is food to be eaten.

“I know!” Acxa’s sudden chirpy cry snaps Keith awake, his eyes landing on her eager, bright ones. “Let’s go fishing! Then we’ll have something to eat and you’ll feel better!”

Before Keith can muster up the strength to remind her they’re not allowed to go fishing in the winter, he freezes. He sucks in a deep breath as images begin to flash before his eyes, fast and colorful and real, making his head hurt. They make his head swim, but they seem to repeat over and over, until he can make sense of them. Until he _sees_. Sees Acxa grinning at him even as wind blows through her short hair as she shakes her fishing pole. She turns to run to the rocks by the shore the two of them have claimed as their favorite spot to fish. But as soon as she reaches the rock, she slips – perhaps on ice, perhaps just water, perhaps the wind pushes against her small skinny body too hard – and falls with a crash barely audible from the harsh waves into the dark, cold sea.

“No!” he screams as loud as his lungs can muster, jumping up to sit for the first time all day. He shivers from the cold sweat that has gathered on his skin, and the only reason he doesn’t throw up is that he has nothing in his stomach to let out. The urge still burns viciously at the back of his throat, churning in his stomach.

“Didn’t think you would be such a stickler for the rules,” he hears Acxa’s voice say. Sly and pleased, clearly happy he’s finally responded somehow.

“We can’t go fishing.” Keith wraps his arms around himself, trying to breathe through his erratic beating heart and keep himself together long enough to speak through his dry, cracking lips. “Something…something bad will happen.”

Acxa blinks at him as he turns to face her; then narrows her eyes. “Well, you can’t know that. Not until we go.”

“No, I _know_ ,” Keith hisses, trying to think of a way to make her believe him, to make her understand. His head is starting to hurt from the size of the images, and he can’t think clearly, even if he knew how to explain it. “I saw it.”

Everything after that happens in a blur. Or perhaps it just seems like that to Keith due to his exhaustion, but suddenly it is dark and the adults return from the mines. And somehow they find out about how he _saw._ He’s dragged out of bed and forced to sit in front of the adults – Thace, Ulaz, Antok and almost everyone else – answering so many questions that they make his head spin before he’s even been given his meager portion of supper.

Everyone demands to know what he saw, how he saw it, how it made him feel, how he knew what to do after; all of it asked in tones that frighten him, everyone looking so serious and whispering amongst themselves in-between, their scents overwhelming as they mix together. He still doesn’t have the words to respond to them with, to really explain what happened. All he knows is that he saw something that hadn’t yet happened like it was already taking place right before his eyes, and he knew he couldn’t let it ever happen either.

His godfather, Kolivan, is one of the few who asks him nothing. But he sits with the other adults as they do, his arms crossed and his brows furrowed. He never takes his golden eyes off Keith, as if trying to figure him out, to see inside of him. And for the first time in his short life, Keith understands why even some of the adults can occasionally be scared of Kolivan.

He can still feel those eyes following him when he’s finally allowed to eat and he and Acxa are sent to retire for the night. Tonight, there are no stories from the elders by the fire. The potato soup Keith had keeps churning in his stomach, his heart thumping in his chest. As Acxa leads him through the cold and dark corridors back towards their bedchamber by the candlelight, Keith can’t resist grabbing her hand. He’s refused himself doing that since he turned five some months ago, feeling he needed to grow out of needing his sister’s protection so much at that age, but right now his head is too fuzzy with fright to deny himself.

He feels a little glimmer of warmth inside himself when Acxa squeezes his hand. “Don’t worry, Keith,” she says softly, looking back at him, her smile visible in the little light they have. “Everything will be alright. I’m sure whatever that was that happened won’t happen again.”

Keith swallows, but says nothing. He’s not sure how much he can believe that. Not when he feels so much like something bad is still going to happen, even if he can’t see it right now the way he did before.

That feeling follows him to bed. Acxa falls asleep easily enough, her breathing leveling out beside him, but Keith can’t settle despite his earlier weariness. He can barely lie still enough to not rouse Acxa, his head swimming with thoughts he can’t quite get a grip of to examine. His back keeps breaking out in sweat despite the meager warmth his sister’s body and the fire provide him in the night.

As simply as he knew to tell Acxa they shouldn’t go fishing, Keith knows to eventually rise from the bed, even if he doesn’t see it in the same way this time. He silently steps into his shoes and puts his cloak on top of his nightshirt to keep away at least some of the chill, before grabbing Acxa’s candle and carefully lighting it again from the fireplace. Then he slips out of the chamber as silently as he can manage, making his way back towards the mess hall in the light of the candle. He walks fast enough that he doesn’t have the opportunity to ponder on how this is the first time he’s been walking alone in the Castle at night.

Light floods into the corridor from the crack in the door of the mess hall, guiding Keith the rest of the way. The familiarity settles him at least a little. He makes sure to walk especially quietly as he begins to hear voices speaking inside, stopping to peer in the doorway and putting his ear to the door to listen in on the words being exchanged.

“…just don’t know. Do you really think doing that is right, Kolivan?” comes Mama’s voice, almost in a sigh. It’s in the same way she does, like when Keith has the sense he’s been asking too many questions. Keith can’t quite see her from his limited viewpoint, but he can almost imagine the downturn of her mouth, the weariness on her brow.

“You know as well as I do that this may be our only chance, Krolia,” Kolivan’s voice says. Keith can see his back sitting in a chair from where he is. “How long have we been waiting for something to change? How long have we prayed for an opportunity for something better? Your boy might be the answer to our wishes. You can’t let your feelings as mother to blind you from seeing that.”

Keith covers his mouth to stifle the gasp that threatens to escape his lips and reveal his presence. He knew they would still be talking about him. About what he saw.

“You know what the legends say,” Kolivan says. “He is a Boy of the Crossroads. What happened today must be just the tip of what he can accomplish, if given the right tools.”

“But he’s so little,” Papa’s gruff voice cuts in, almost a growl in its anger. But Keith thinks he’s angry because he’s worried, the way he was once when Keith stood too close to the fireplace and his clothes caught in the flames. Papa had managed to put them out, but he’d growled like that at him too, at the time, about how he should always remember to respect fire. How he should never let his guard down around it.

“He cannot flourish here,” Kolivan says, though he sounds weary as he does. “We have no one here who can teach him how to harness and utilize his gifts. And if he doesn’t have guidance, they will be wasted. Not to mention it could be dangerous for him, if he doesn’t learn how to control his powers, especially given his age.”

“I just wish I could believe you when you speak as though what you’re asking for is for Keith’s sake,” Mama speaks up, her voice now sharp and hard, like icicles that gather at the edges of the Castle’s roof. “But in my heart, I know he’d become nothing more than a pawn to be used in your games.”

“Can both not be equally true?” Kolivan says in a huff, his ears flickering. “And can you truly say you’re content with the way things are? That you don’t want us to have something better for ourselves than constant misery? For your children?”

Keith sees a flicker of movement through the crack, hears the sound of feet against the stone floors, as Kolivan’s back steps out of view for him. “Through these gifts, Keith has a chance at a better life. By the Nine, through him, we may all be delivered as well. If he can be educated in courtly manners and aided to use his powers as a proper Omega lady, he may yet earn a place somewhere much better than this island. And if he does, he can help us gain what is rightfully ours, and none of us would need to suffer so any longer.”

There’s a moment’s silence, through which Keith can only hear the harsh beat of his own heart, pounding in his ears and pulsing in his throat, as he tries to breathe evenly and without a sound.

“…Say we do this,” Mama speaks up softly, sadly. “How would we even be able to pay for such an education?

“I believe I may be able to arrange that. There is an old contact of mine in Altea,” Kolivan says. “If we explain the situation to him, I believe he may be willing to sponsor Keith through his schooling, as well as look out for him in our stead, while he’s studying. He’s performed similar deeds for gifted children of more limited means. We can count on him to care for your boy while he’s in Altea.”

Keith’s heart seems ready to jump out of his chest, his eyes burning in the candlelight, and he can’t bear to listen anymore. Before he even realizes what he’s doing, he’s pushed the door fully open and burst into the mess hall, his candle dropping at his feet. His eyes sting in the sudden light of the torches and the fireplace, blinding him momentarily, but he refuses to show his pain. All he can hear is that one word ringing in his ears. _Altea_.

Keith only knows that name from the stories by the elders. The old tales say the Life Givers themselves were the ancestors of Alteans, existing as the First Peoples of Erran. Many tales even claim they are the ones who created all the Peoples; the Olkari, the Galra and the Atlasseans, before settling behind the mountain range in a safe, lush, beautiful land in the East.

Now, Altea is said to be the most glorious and beautiful of all the Kingdoms, filled with the strongest magic users and the most genius minds in all of Erran, who together have created feats of genius one wouldn’t believe to be real. The elders say Altea is bathed in glowing constant light and that it is always good weather and warm there. That there is more food and wealth than anyone can imagine. That their houses reach up to touch the skies and peace and prosperity rule the land even more kindly than the royal family.

But Keith cares about none of that. Not if it means leaving behind his only home. He’ll take the hunger and the cold and the harsh winters. He’ll pray to and apologize to all Life Givers every day for the rest of his life for being greedy and selfish in his desperation. He’ll never even complain or cry again and will give from his portion of supper to the elders who need it in their fragile states. As long as he can just _stay_.

Even from the tightness in his throat and the burning in his eyes, Keith forces himself to take in a shaky gasp of air and blurt out, “You can’t send me away!”

“Keith,” Papa speaks, turning towards him. “You should be in bed.”

“Papa, you can’t send me away,” Keith repeats in a choked voice, stepping over to him and clutching at his clothes with both fists where he can reach, burying his face in his legs. He refuses to let everyone see him cry.

“Keith,” Kolivan’s low tone speaks up, causing Keith to turn to look at his serious, golden eyes. He presses a bit closer to Papa, but doesn’t let his eyes fall. He knows that would only make things worse for him. “It is rude to eavesdrop.”

Keith swallows, biting his lip to keep more tears from slipping out, as Kolivan continues, “But so long as you heard, you must understand. We are not sending you to Altea to be cruel. It is to be done so that you can have a better chance at life. A chance to learn how to properly use these newly manifested gifts of yours, and maybe eventually grow into a proper Seer.”

A small smile overtakes Kolivan’s lips. “Because that’s what you are going to become, Keith. You have special talents, but for the moment, they’re completely untrained. You must learn to harness them and use them properly, for all our sakes.”

“No,” Keith does his best impression of a growl. “I’m not leaving.”

Kolivan’s smile drops. “Don’t be selfish, young one,” Kolivan says, his voice low and cold. “If you throw away this opportunity, you’ll have to live with it when someone you love passes from hunger, or the roughness of our labors. When we all must work from dawn to dusk since age nine, Omega, Beta or Alpha, and still barely have enough to eat for it. When all our hard works only goes to line the pockets of the Accursed Emperor.”

“Kolivan,” Mama snaps, her expression hard. Even Keith with his blocked nose can smell her anger. “You can’t talk to him like that. He’s still just a child.”

“He needs to hear this, and to understand,” Kolivan says. “We cannot survive the life we have now for much longer. Another winter like this…” He trails off, shaking his head, before turning his eyes back on Keith. “Do you really want to have each of our deaths on your shoulders, knowing for the rest of your life you could’ve saved us and did nothing?”

Keith swallows, and the memory of seeing Acxa fall into her icy death flashes by his eyes. He shivers. This time he may have been able to save her from going fishing. But sooner or later, Acxa or someone else, is going to give in to their hunger and go find food against their better reason, no matter the danger. And he won’t be able to stop them forever.

Keith might not really understand what their survival has to do with him being sent to Altea. But if Kolivan says Keith can change how they’re all starving, well…hadn’t he just promised he’d be better? That he would give up what he has so others can have more?

He gives Papa one last squeeze, before forcing himself to let go. He wipes his eyes with his sleeve, before looking up and up all the way at Kolivan’s face.

He doesn’t say anything, but Kolivan nods all the same. “We’ll discuss this further in the morning. Go to bed.”

Keith doesn’t wait for his parents to respond before he runs out and through the corridors, wind whistling in his ears, pulling at his wayward tears.

Acxa only wakes when Keith settles back into bed next to her, holding onto her like a lifeline and breathing her familiar scent in.

“What’s going on?” she murmurs sleepily, Keith feeling her words in his hair. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Keith doesn’t respond, just tightens his hold on his sister’s skinny body, barely bigger than his despite the two years of age gap between them, her ribs pushing into his arms through her nightshirt.

“It was just a dream, you big baby,” Acxa says, but wraps her arms around him in return and starts petting his hair all the same. “Go to sleep, alright? You’re safe.”

Keith keeps silent, knowing his nightmare is only just beginning.

…

_To Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe,_

_My apologies for not being in touch much as of late. However, I have a favor to ask you._

_My godson Keith, Krolia and her mate’s Omega child, showed first signs of the powers of a Seer today, at the age of five. I am asking that you take him as your ward in Altea and enroll him in school where he can become a proper lady._

_You know how important this is for us. Send your answer with haste and we will make plans on how we can deliver the child to you once springtime arrives._

_Regards,_

_Kolivan of Marmora_


	2. Chapter 2

It’s as though that strange, pressing, overwhelming day turns the tide of the winds on Marmora. Keith could swear spring starts the following day, the weather slowly starting to get milder, the snow beginning to melt. Everyone’s spirits rise as they get at least a bit of sunshine through the continuous clouds that wrap their island home in their midst.

But for the first time, Keith finds himself wanting the winter to continue.

His future has been set into motion along with the spring, and as with the seasons coming and going, Keith is only swept along with no hope of influencing either. Kolivan has been sending out letters with their rarely used carrier crow, and receiving some in return. Evidently, they’re from the contact of his from Altea, that he was talking about on that fateful night. Keith’s been told this contact is ready to receive him as his ward and to sponsor his education at the Oriande Institute for Magicians.

Everyone keeps saying how proud they are of him, for being accepted to such a prestigious academy. He’s even been given extra portions at supper to “prepare him for the journey.” Mama and Papa are spending less time down in the mines and more time with him and Acxa during the day, too. They’ve helped him memorize the main prayers to his Protectors, Life and Death, and gone out to gather and fish with him and Acxa. They’ve even managed to squeeze in some time to just be and play together.

They’ve also taught and told him about things other than the prayers. One day, they sat Keith down and sent Acxa to feed the few animals they keep.

“Keith,” Mama said, her brows lowered with seriousness and something akin to sorrow. “Your father and I have talked, and we believe we need to talk to you about something before you step out into the wider world. We hope that what we are about to tell you will help you better navigate the people you might meet and things you might experience. So you may understand why some people may act the way they do towards you, depending on where you are.”

Keith swallowed. He’d tried not to think too much about the world outside his little island home. It seems so vast and different and scary. Even the idea of traveling frightens him, especially the idea that he and Kolivan will have to cross the sea. The sea that never seems to settle, always dark and shifting. Where you can’t see the opposite shore. And which had nearly been the thing that killed his sister.

“Keith,” Papa spoke up. “Here on Marmora, things are different from the way they are out there. Here, we all are equal. We all work the same, and no one is more or less special despite how they’re born. We take care of each other. We’re a family.”

“In other Kingdoms, things are not so simple,” Mama continued. “You’re still a child, so your senses have not fully developed. But I am sure you can tell how your father and I smell different, although we are also influenced by the smells around us.”

Keith nodded quietly, not understanding where this was going. It was true that under the smells of the coal mines, Papa smells like burning fires, while Mama smells more like the first breezes of spring, cool and calming. But he wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything.

“That is because I am an Omega and your father is an Alpha,” Mama said. “Once you grow, you will know more instinctively which Classification people belong to, but that isn’t to come for many years yet. What we want to tell you now has to do with what your father just said. Here on Marmora, we’re all the same, regardless of Classification. However, out there in the Kingdoms of Erran, things are different.”

“Altea will be a good place for you, regarding that,” Papa cut in. “You’re an Omega, just like your Mama. On Altea, Omegas are highly revered and treated very well, seen as above the other Classifications for their rarity. However, you will be passing through Atlas, and over there, certain things are expected of an Omega.”

Mama nodded. “It will likely seem unfair to you, but all we ask of you is that you follow Kolivan’s lead and don’t talk unless you’re spoken to. Be on your best behavior on your journey.”

Keith blinked, confused. “But why?”

“It is just the way things are. Certain things will be expected of you, and your life will be made easier if you follow those expectations,” Mama said in almost a sigh. “The rest of what you’ll need to know you’ll learn at school. It is what being a proper lady is all about.”

Keith still didn’t understand, but he would’ve followed Kolivan’s lead regardless, so it was easy to give in to this request from his parents, even if he still didn’t really understand why it was so important.

Keith supposes he should just be grateful for all the attention and care. But all it does is serve as a reminder for what he knows is about to happen. Kolivan has announced that as soon as the spring is far enough along for it to be safe for him and Keith to journey over the sea to Atlas, they will travel so Keith can go to Altea and start his studies. And Keith knows he’s only getting such special treatment because everyone wants to prepare him for the time of departure.

The worst part is that with each passing day, Acxa seems to be pulling further and further away from him. Even when they’re together with their parents, she now barely looks at him, let alone talks to him. She’s never felt distant. It’s as though Keith is already all the way in Altea when it comes to her. He’s tried to talk to her, tried to engage her in the prayer times with their parents and share his extra portion of supper with her. But she just gives him cold looks and seems to close even more in on herself.

Keith guesses she’s probably angry with him. Since that first day, it was like a dam had been broken, because he’s Seen more things. None of them have been so drastic as the first one; mostly simple things like knowing that if someone pokes at the fire now, sparks will fly out of it and catch on someone’s clothes. Or that Antok may hit his head on the door on his way out. He still reacts to them as though they control him; shouting out warnings before he even has a chance to think about it. No hope of keeping them to himself.

Following the second vision he ever had, Acxa had begun her silent treatment of him. That night at bedtime, when the two of them were alone without their parents, he was able to confront her about it.

For a long time, she said nothing in answer, her back turned to him in bed. Keith was almost asleep when he finally heard her whisper, “If only you had kept your mouth shut…”

Keith finally understood. And it wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about something similar himself. He hasn’t told anyone how when Mama and Papa have been teaching him the Prayers of Life and Death, he’s been adding secret prayers to his Protectors in his mind to go with the official ones. Wishing more than anything that he wouldn’t have any more visions. That they would stop, that they were nothing more than a mistake, that he could be released from their burden.

That he could be like he was. Just plain Keith, a child of the Isle of Marmora. Not the Boy of the Crossroads, the term his parents have been using more and more these days as they’ve been teaching him the prayers. He’s been told about how someone born on a day blessed by the opposite but equal powerful forces of Life and Death, they are known to be Blessed. They are born in the Crossroads of Fate, given grand destinies and powers that often foretell great change that will shake entire lands. They say they’ve always been looking out for signs of Keith being special, and what has happened is clearly the proof they’ve been searching for.

Keith wants none of it. He just wants things to return to the way they were. But he also knows that might mean Acxa would be dead now. And as much as the things he Sees seem to burst out from his mouth before he even has the time to think of his words, that first vision still haunts him, and keeps him from being silent in any case. He can’t keep his mouth shut and let someone be hurt when he can stop it. And he can’t pretend he doesn’t still get these visions when he’s made a commitment to not be selfish.

He can’t be the reason someone he loves gets hurt, or worse. He won’t be. But it doesn’t mean Acxa’s distance doesn’t hurt. Especially when Keith knows each day they spend together might be the last they’ll have together in what could be a very long time.

…

_ Dear Kolivan, _

_ You truly should engage in correspondence more often. Even now, I am given no clues as to how you are. You never change, old friend. _

_ As for the issue you addressed in your letter, I would be happy to take in this boy. However, as much as the young age of manifesting his gifts shows his talent, it additionally cannot help but cause concern within me. Altea is so terribly far away from Marmora. I cannot promise the boy will be able to visit all that often, as such a journey would be long and difficult for such a small child. Is it truly wise to send a little one such as that to school, when he should be with his parents? It might be better for us to wait a few more years before he comes here. It would give him some more time to get used to the idea as well as learn more about what to expect. No doubt Altea will seem very different to what he has known in his life so far. _

_ However, when the time comes, I would be glad to care for him like my own. It has been some time now since I have last had a ward, and with the Princess now enrolled in the Institute, there is not much in my life aside from my work. It may be an honor and joy to work for the King himself, but as PopPop Wimbleton used to say, a person’s life should not be measured merely by his career. _

_ Write to me again soon. It is good to hear from you. _

_ Your affectionate friend, _

_ Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe _

…

The day Keith begins his journey through the world with Kolivan comes with shock and terror for him. Mostly because no one tells him about it. He gets up and has breakfast as usual, his parents accompanying him as is becoming the new norm. Almost everyone else is at the mines as usual. The only strange thing he notices is that Acxa is nowhere to be seen. She wasn’t in bed when Keith woke and she is not at the mess hall either, but Keith figures she’s probably just continuing to avoid him and keeping to herself somewhere on the island. 

The truth only dawns on him when his parents help him dress for the outdoors and lead him to the courtyard and he sees Kolivan readying the island’s only donkey, Ore, with bags and his saddle. Keith’s never been allowed to ride Ore, no matter how many times he’s asked, even though he and Acxa take care of him and the island’s goat Luxy, in addition to their food-gathering endeavors. Everyone has always said riding Ore is for special occasions, and that Keith’s too young and small to ride.

But now, knowing what it must mean that Ore has been brought outside, Keith no longer wants to ride on him.

His eyes begin burning, his vision blurring. He can hear his own breaths come out sharp and short, can feel his shoulders trembling. He wraps his arms around himself to try and keep himself together even as his head swims with the shock of realizing what is about to happen. Why didn’t anyone give him any warnings? Was it because they thought he’d try to hide or run?

He swallows, trying to clear his tight throat, as he turns to his parents to ask, “Where’s Acxa?”

Mama crouches down to his level, smiling sadly at him. “Everyone who could be spared is looking for her. But so far…”

“No. I have to say goodbye,” Keith cries.

Mama doesn’t answer. She just leans forward and pulls Keith tight in her arms, holding him against her, his face buried in her neck. He breathes her in deep, trying to memorize her scent, so he can hold it with him in his memories. He feels more than sees Papa join him and Mama, wrapping his arms around both of them.

“Pray to Death and Life, Keith, like we’ve taught you,” Mama says into his ear. “No matter what anyone says about either of them out there, they’re your Protectors. You have their favor and they will keep you safe, no matter what. So long as you keep praying to them, you’ll always have someone looking out for you, even when you might feel alone and afraid. I’m sure of it.”

Keith says nothing, his throat feeling swollen and tight as he buries his face in Mama’s neck and letting the first tears slip out. The only reason he doesn’t curse out his so-called Protectors in his mind is that he doesn’t want to end their favored look on him. That might be even worse than being Blessed, if being separated from his family is supposed to be caused by their favor.

He feels a touch on his shoulder, and his parents let go of him enough so he can look over his shoulder and up at Kolivan’s serious golden eyes. “It is time to go, Keith. We must make haste on our way to the shore so we may travel the sea by daylight.”

It’s as though Keith’s insides turn to ice with those words. “No!” he cries, pressing closer to Mama and Papa. “No, not before Acxa gets here!”

“I am sorry she is not here. We told her to come, if she wanted to see you off,” Kolivan says in a low tone. Keith feels one angry tear slip out. He can’t believe they told Acxa but not him. “Don’t be selfish, now. Come on.”

“He’s right, Keith,” Mama says, though her voice sounds choked and forced. She gives him one last squeeze, before letting go, and stands up straight once more. Keith immediately misses her warmth. “It is time.”

“And hey, you get to ride Ore,” Papa says with an attempt at a smile, patting his shoulder as he, too, stands up. “Isn’t that fun, buddy?”

Keith refuses to smile back, only crossing his arms with a huff as he tries to hold back more tears. If he’s going to be thrust into this, he’s at least going to let them all know exactly how he feels about it. He keeps the pout on his face even as Papa helps him into Ore’s saddle, Kolivan holding onto the reins to lead him forward. Even as Kolivan smacks his mouth to get Ore to move and they start walking, Keith keeps looking behind himself. He needs to look at his parents and his home for as long as he possibly can. Search for any possible signs of his sister coming out of her hiding to say goodbye.

When will he see any of them again? Or will he ever? And is this really how he’s meant to part from his sister, his protector, his best friend and constant? Without a single word of goodbye, and only the bitter silence of the past months between them?

Just as that thought leaves him, he hears a familiar voice shout, “Keith!”

He stretches his neck, trying to see as far behind himself as he can as Kolivan moves to a more hurried pace, and finally manages to see the small, blue form of his sister running out of Regent Castle after them. “Acxa!”

“Keith, I’m sorry!” Acxa screams, tears flowing down her blue cheeks, catching in the wind of her rush. “Don’t go! Don’t leave me!”

“I’m sorry too!” Keith cries, feeling his eyes burn. He hastily wipes at them, not wanting to miss these last moments with Acxa by not being able to see properly. “I’ll come home again! I promise!”

“Keith! Keith!” Acxa’s voice keeps gasping through her labored breath as she runs after them, before Ore’s pathway turns and his steps grow faster, and Keith loses the sight of her for good, leaving her and the rest of his old life behind.

…

_ To Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe _

_ I am afraid we cannot put off Keith’s education longer than it takes for us to travel to Altea. There is too much at stake. This winter has been difficult for all of us. We cannot know how much longer we can survive the life we have now. _

_ Keith is of Marmora. He is stronger and more self-sufficient than other children. He understands this is something that he must do to aid all of us. So long as you care for him as you promise, I am confident he will be alright. _

_ I cannot afford to waste resources writing you letters to argue. Please simply tell me if you will do as I ask of you or not, so we will know to begin the journey once the sea permits travel. _

_ Regards, _

_ Kolivan of Marmora _

…

Although the ride to the shore of the island isn’t long, the bumpy ride on Ore makes Keith grateful when he is allowed to dismount the donkey. His back and legs and bottom all ache from the punishing pace Kolivan pushed Ore into once they were a bit further from Regent Castle. It’s enough for him to momentarily forget where they’re going, trying to get his feet on the ground as carefully as he can without Kolivan’s assistance and with his body trembling with the wind and the pain.

It’s only once he’s properly dismounted and given Ore a pat to thank him for carrying him, even if it wasn’t as enjoyable as he’d hoped, that it all hits Keith again. The smell of the sea suddenly hits him in the face, and he can see a skinny man with purple skin and a loose stance close by to a small wooden boat with a fitting mast by the shoreline. The waves crash on the rocks, harsh, deep, and cold as ever, and Keith finds himself shivering. His stomach churns with the thought of getting any closer, let alone in the middle of all that water in such a small and fragile mode of transportation.

“There you are,” the man says with a lazy sort of grin, holding a hand out towards them. “You got the payment?”

Kolivan steps closer, digging his fingers through the pouch at his hip, taking something out and putting it into the man’s hand wordlessly. The man glances down at his hand, and Keith can briefly see something glitter in the little morning light that they have before the man closes his fist and pockets whatever he now has.

“Right then,” he says, turning towards the boat. “Let’s get going. We haven’t got all day.”

Keith shivers, pressing closer to Ore, even as Kolivan moves to tie the donkey up to a small tree growing near the shore and begins hauling their bags into the boat. Keith’s stomach churns so hard he’s scared he’ll lose his meager breakfast, watching how the boat fills up. There is no way it can carry all of them and their things.

If Kolivan notices his nerves, he offers no words of consolation. He simply pushes Keith forward by the back once he’s done with their luggage. “Get in the boat, Keith.”

Keith swallows hard, trying to quell the threatening burn at the back of his throat, trying not to show how hard his shoulders wish to shake. “Will it really carry all of us?”

“It’s carried loads heavier than you, little Omega,” the boatman says. “Trust Old Rolo on his word, I’ll get you on the other side safe and sound.”

“Keith,” is all Kolivan says in a sharp voice, his eyes harsh, cold and commanding.

Keith swallows again to try and soothe his thumping heart. He does his best to get his legs to move normally as he steps over to the boat and somehow manages to climb on. As soon as he does, before he has even had a chance to get properly seated, Rolo the Boatman pushes the boat into the water and hops on himself. The wind quickly catches on the mast and Rolo moves to his seat to steer properly.

Keith swears he can feel each wave as it hits the bottom planks, the boat rocking to this side and the next, making his nausea even worse. He curls in on himself, trying to keep his eyes on the inside so he doesn’t have to look at the sea. He doesn’t want to know how close it is and how big it looks around him. How easily he could fall in. He tries to take in even breaths as he digs his nails in the wood, trying to be as still as he possibly can.

“No need to be scared, little Omega,” he hears Rolo say from behind him. He doesn’t dare turn to look. “I’ve sailed this sea since before you were even born.”

“It’s his first time on a boat,” Kolivan says, his voice colorless and his expression as unreadable as ever as he stares impassively out into the dark waves.

“Is that right?” Rolo says, and Keith can hear the lazy grin in his voice. However, when he continues, he sounds more solemn. “It might be his last time, too, if what I keep hearing of late is true, at least on these waters.”

A big wave hits them, lurching the boat. Keith bites his teeth together so he doesn’t shriek.

But Rolo continues on as if nothing had happened, “Word is Atlas is planning to build a bridge over to Marmora to ease the trade routes. They don’t want the metals to keep having to go through Daibazaal before they get them. If they can be shipped directly and without boats, they’ll save large sums.”

He sighs. “If that happens, though, I’ll probably be out of a job. You Marmorans don’t really leave your island often enough for me to keep up this work without the minerals.”

“I doubt Daibazaal will agree to another Kingdom building a bridge to their territory,” Kolivan says, almost spitting out the words.

Keith’s head swims in tune with the waves. He’s honestly barely listening, only trying to do so in order to have something else to focus on, other than how rotten he’s starting to feel. The chilling sea air is seeping into his bones and making him shiver in ways he didn’t even know were possible in his cloak. The cold of the sea is even worse than the cold of Marmora, clinging to his clothes and hair and not leaving one place warm and dry. Even as he tries to hug himself and bury his hands in his armpits, it does nothing.

“Atlas might not care to ask permission,” Keith hears Rolo say. “They’re doing pretty well these days. The last few years have been good for the harvest. It’s probably difficult to be scared of Daibazaal when you know your people have everything they need and Daibazaal only really has their weapons and mines. Without food, even the strongest warrior can’t carry his sword very far.”

The thought of food is the final blow for Keith. He doesn’t know if the adults keep talking after that, because he’s forced to dunk his head over the side of the boat and lose the remnants of his breakfast to the waves.

…

_ Dear Kolivan, _

_ If the situation is as you say, of course I will take the boy in. _

_ However, I insist on easing your troubles at least some. Allow me to come and meet you in Kerberos on your journey. It is roughly halfway on the journey to Altea. I can continue on with Keith from there as you return to Marmora where you are needed. It will also give Keith and I some time to get to know each other, and hopefully through that I will be able to prepare him for what is to come a little better. _

_ Let me know when I should be expecting the two of you in Kerberos. _

_ Your affectionate friend, _

_ Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe _

…

Keith hates to admit it, even to himself, but the next movements almost make him miss the journey in Rolo’s boat. At least that part of their travel was short, as brutal and terrifying it was.

Upon reaching the shore, he and Kolivan were left behind by Rolo, who took a horse to ride ahead. Before Keith even had time to marvel at the first horse he’d seen in real life, the boatman was already gone. And before he had a chance to ask how they were going to get to town, Kolivan had already begun walking.

By foot, the journey to the next town took several hours. Kolivan was carrying most of their luggage, but Keith still had to pull his weight. The journey left his feet and legs and arms and back aching. The ride on Ore had been nothing compared to that. He swore that there was nowhere in his body that didn’t hurt. To add to that, instead of Kolivan finding them actual beds to sleep in, they simply laid down on cold hard ground along the borders of the town, Keith struggling all night to keep warm in the blanket Kolivan had given him. There were no stories that night, not so much as a kind word from Kolivan. Only a meager supper, his own blanket and silent commands to do as he was told and not complain.

Their journey has continued on much the same. They take carriages – strange boxes on wheels pulled by horses that had fascinated Keith at first, but quickly lost their appeal once he’d traveled in one – between towns where they can. They’re always filled to the brim with people, hot and difficult to breathe in.

At first, Keith tried to busy himself by watching the people travelling with them. It was the first time, after all, that he saw people who looked more like him and Papa rather than the others on Marmora. Although no one had ever made him feel like he wasn’t of Marmora, a part of Keith had always wondered why he was so different from everyone else. Papa had told him that he was from Atlas originally, of course, but it hadn’t explained much to Keith. After all, Acxa still looked more like the others, so why didn’t he? And now, there are people of all sorts that travel with them. Big, small, with skin tones from light pink to dark brown and everything in-between. But Keith quickly finds himself getting tired of watching them. They give him and Kolivan strange looks, and seeing them only serves to remind Keith of how he’s not home anymore.

Sometimes, though, he gets visions of the people they travel with. He once tries to warn an old lady that if she’s not careful leaving the carriage she’s going to trip and break her basket of eggs.

She doesn’t listen. When she falls down, and breaks her eggs, her clothes wet with mud and dirty water, she turns around to look at him over her shoulder, her face ashy and eyes wide with fear. “Demon!” she screams, pointing at him. “That boy is a demon!”

The carriage driver closes the door on Keith and the others in the carriage before she can scream at him more. But after that, even when he Sees things about the people he meets, Keith keeps his mouth shut. Thankfully, nothing he sees is anything life-threatening. A twisted ankle, forgotten luggage, a broken wheel. The guilt of not being able to find the right words to prevent those things from happening still turns his stomach. He hopes this school he’s going to will help him figure out how to talk about the things he Sees without scaring people. So maybe he could finally be able to help some of them.

He doesn’t get to dwell on the people for long though. Everything around him is so strange, growing more so with each leg of the journey he and Kolivan make. Although they stay mostly at the edges of the towns, even what Keith does see of them makes his head spin. There are more buildings and people than he’s ever seen in his life, and there is also more noise than he’s ever heard and that makes it even more difficult for him to sleep on the ground. The noise seems to last well into the night, too. Nothing like on Marmora, where people sleep and rise with the sun.

Even the slowly improving and warming weather doesn’t lift Keith’s spirits much. It is nice that the nights slowly grow warmer and he has to admit his slight wonder at the green pastures, but he’d gladly trade it away for the chance to be home instead. This is around the time on Marmora when, after the greyness of early spring, the stars would finally be visible on the sky and the elders would tell him and Acxa stories about them. About the great heroes who the Life Givers respected so much they painted their images in the sky after their passing. At night now, when he can’t sleep, he finds himself watching the stars and trying to remember those stories. Wondering if Acxa is hearing one at the same time, watching the same sky he is.

The night he realizes he can’t remember how many wives Thorark had, nine or seven, he breaks out in silent tears, biting his lip to keep quiet. He wishes he could wake Kolivan and ask him. Have Kolivan tell the story to him so he could remember. But Kolivan isn’t one to talk, much less tell stories. He never gives more than is absolutely necessary for Keith to stay alive. He’s sometimes forced to go into town to get them more food once their rations start running out, but it’s not very different to what they eat on Marmora, although Keith knows there has to be lots of different kinds of food there, by the mouthwatering smells alone. But there is no warmth with Kolivan, no use asking him for things; be it stories, rest, or better food. He’ll only do his duty and get Keith where he needs to be, no more and no less. His comfort is of no consequence until he’s somebody else’s problem.

Keith wishes Mama or Papa were here instead. And Acxa too, so he wouldn’t feel so alone.

…

_ To Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe, _

_ Keith and I have begun our journey. I believe we can be in Kerberos before your Celebration of Two Moons. If you can meet us there by then, that would work best for us. Meet us at our old place, or the inn closest to it, in case it no longer exists. _

_ No need to answer this letter if you will be there. _

_ Regards, _

_ Kolivan of Marmora _

…

It is difficult to tell since Keith is rarely actually allowed inside the towns and cities he and Kolivan pass by, but as the days grow warmer and longer, enough for Keith to mostly be comfortable without his cloak, Keith could swear the cities also start to get bigger. There are also even more people on the roads and fields between them, and those roads become shorter between towns. The air has even started to smell different, more filled with smoke and something else other than nature that Keith doesn’t recognize. Keith’s not sure how much he likes that.

He doesn’t get much time to ponder before he and Kolivan disembark the carriage inside a city for the first time, rather than at its edges. As soon as Keith steps into the doorway of the carriage, his head starts spinning with how he can’t seem to decide where his eyes should look.

His mouth waters at the smell of fresh bread coming from nearby. There are people standing around tables with roofs to shield them from the sun, calling out, “Fresh fruit here! You won’t find more juicy vegetables than with me!”, “Bread and rolls here, mouthwatering buns straight from the oven!” and “Meat and cheese here, come and get it, don’t be shy!”

Another carriage passes right by him, the wheels clattering against the uneven streets of stone that made his own ride even more bumpy and painful than usual, mixing in with the rest of the ear-thrumming noise from the people, the fires,  _ everything _ . The houses in this part of town are not huge, but they look comfortable. On the horizon though, Keith can see buildings that are much taller, seeming to almost touch the skies. The most impressive one looks to be right in the middle of the city, built on its own small island. It has several tall towers, it’s been painted beautiful colors and its grounds are grand, lush and green; filled with flowers and trees that seem to almost glimmer in the soft late afternoon light.

It’s the most beautiful place Keith has ever seen.

He’s snapped out of his thoughts by Kolivan pushing at his shoulder. “Come along, Keith. We must hurry.”

Keith obeys silently, taking Kolivan’s offered hand so they don’t get separated. But he keeps his eyes on the building over his shoulder for as long as he possibly can, before it gets too far away for him to see from behind the rows of houses.

They stop in front of a stone house with two floors. A sign painted with the image of two large pints being clinked together by an equally large pair of hands hanging above the door. Kolivan offers no more words of explanation for why they’re here before he’s pushed the door open and pulled Keith along with him.

The noise on the inside is even worse than outside, so much so that Keith has to do his best to cover his ears with his single free hand. All sorts of people are sitting around tables, talking and yelling all over each other, drinking greedily from their mugs and gobbling down more meat than Keith’s ever seen in his life. Seeing and smelling it makes his own stomach ache with hunger. The journey has been difficult and long and he’s pretty sure living on his regular diet during it has left him even weaker and skinnier than he was before, his plain old dress hanging a little at the shoulders now.

Kolivan pulls him further along though, towards some sort of a counter with more chairs in front of it, occupied by even more people. At least one of them seems to have fallen asleep there, and Keith recognizes the bitter smell of alcohol from the few celebrations where the elders enjoy some. It all mixes in with the smell of food and fire that seems to derive from somewhere behind the woman by the counter. Probably even behind the rows of bottles occupying the wall behind her.

“What can I do for you?” she asks, barely looking up from the glass she’s cleaning.

“Is there an Altean man by the name of Coran here?” Kolivan asks.

“Corner table, just served his dinner,” the woman says, pointing towards the right direction. In the muted light, Keith can only see a little glimpse of something orange.

“Thank you,” Kolivan says, before turning around again and starting to lead Keith forward again.

As they approach, the image of the man at the table becomes a bit clearer. He indeed has bright orange hair as well as matching curled bush under his nose and above his lip, moving a little with each bite he takes from his plate. He must feel them approaching and he looks up. Keith can see his eyes are dark blue, and they twinkle merrily above the blue marks shaped like crescent moons on his cheeks, as his lips spread into a smile, showing friendly wrinkles around his mouth.

“Kolivan, my old friend!” he chirps as he gets to his feet, rushing over and shocking Keith by first pulling Kolivan into his arms and then reaching up to kiss both of his cheeks.

“It is good to see you, Coran,” Kolivan says, and shocks Keith again by actually smiling down at the other man.

“I am so glad to see you made it here safely,” the man called Coran says, before turning his eyes down to Keith. “And this must be your young lady Keith.”

He crouches down to be on the eye-level with Keith, his smile turning softer as he offers Keith his hand, covered by white gloves that go well with his fine blue clothes. “It is a pleasure to see you, child. I know the journey here must’ve been difficult for you, but I promise you, everything will be much easier from now on. You just tell me whenever you’re tired or hungry or anything, and I’ll do my best to help with anything you might need. Alright?”

Keith blinks, but finds his lips spreading into a smile as he gives Coran his hand. It is strange when Coran kisses it like he’s already a fine lady like in the stories, instead of being worn down by the road like he is. He must stand out especially next to Coran’s impeccable appearance, with his hair that he hasn’t been able to cut in movements, in Acxa’s old worn dress that is too big for him, and in the shoes that are falling apart with travel. Not to mention his calloused hands and bruised, aching body. But the act makes him feel warmed, perhaps even more so when he must look ragged and yet Coran doesn’t shy away from him or show him disrespect. He’s clearly a much warmer, kinder person than Kolivan, and Keith immediately feels a bit more relaxed at the notion of food.

“I am hungry now,” he says, honestly.

“Keith,” Kolivan hisses. “Don’t be rude.”

“It is alright, my friend,” Coran says, getting to his feet but keeping his hold on Keith’s hand, this time holding it more like a child’s. “Anyone can see this child needs to be fed as soon as possible. You both may as well join me for dinner.”

“Nothing too heavy,” Kolivan says as they begin walking towards Coran’s table. “Keith isn’t used to very rich foods.”

“Don’t worry, my friend, I know what I’m doing,” Coran says, pulling out Keith’s chair for him, allowing him and Kolivan to take their seats before he waves at the lady behind the counter to come to their table. “Some fish broth for my companions, with fresh bread and butter and milk.” Keith’s mouth waters more and more with each word. “Some fruit for dessert. And a pint for my friend here.”

“Coming right up, sir,” the woman says, heading off.

“Keith,” Kolivan speaks up. “Coran will be your guardian in Altea. I want you to show him the same sort of respect you’d show to your parents or any one of your elders so long as you’re in his care.”

Keith nods silently, chewing the inside of his mouth to keep from retorting anything. Coran seems nice enough, and he’s grateful for his show of attentiveness already at this stage, but he’s still a stranger from a strange land. Keith hates that he’s still scared to be left with him, but he also can’t stop his feelings from running around inside him, cold sweats breaking out in his hands.

He’s given other things to think about when the food arrives in a huge bowl, the cooked fish familiar in his nose and the fresh bread and butter mouth-watering, though unfamiliar. The bread here is light in color and soft to touch, not like the brown dried hard bread they store and eat on Marmora over the winter. But the butter swims golden on its warmth and as Keith puts a piece in his mouth, it almost melts inside. He’s quick to grab another and butter it as Kolivan serves them both fish broth in smaller bowls. Keith begins to shove it into his mouth with his spoon, occasionally dipping the bread in it. It is thick and creamy and the fish and vegetables are fresh and perfectly cooked in his mouth. The milk he has to drink tastes different from the goat milk he’s used to, but it’s rich and nourishing and sweet, and Keith could cry from how good it feels to eat something other than dry bread and turnips.

“Keith, slow down,” Kolivan says. “Remember your manners.” Keith swallows down his mouthful, and tries to pace himself. He’s probably been slurping on the broth too, so he makes sure to put the spoon fully into his mouth this time. “I am sorry, Coran.”

“It is good that he’s eating now,” Coran says kindly. “Although I can see there is much he needs to learn.”

“We appreciate you taking him on,” Kolivan says, putting a spoonful of the broth into his own mouth.

Coran waves him off. “He’s not my first ward and he likely won’t be the last. And you know me. I want to help nourish talented young people like Keith, even if I didn’t owe you a favor.” Keith watches him smile over at Kolivan as he takes another piece of bread, but this time his eyes look a bit misty. “It still feels wrong, however. Taking such a young child away from his parents.”

“It can’t be helped,” Kolivan says, taking a sip of his drink. “Now that you’ve seen him, I’m sure you understand better as to why.”

Coran hums as Keith finishes his bowl, holding it up. “Can I have some more?”

“It’s best if you wait a while,” Coran says, smiling softly at him. “Otherwise you might feel nauseous soon. And we don’t want to waste this food by it coming right back up, do we?”

Keith swallows, his stomach gurgling with the need to eat everything in front of him as fast as he can. It’s hard not to feel like the food will disappear any moment, the way it does in Marmora where everyone has to share. But he also has to admit Coran is right, because alongside the hunger, there is also something else turning in his stomach.

“Alright,” he says softly, sipping on his mug of milk to ease the nausea.

“That’s a good lad,” Coran says with a slightly wider smile. “I think we’ll get along well.”

Keith sips more on his drink, slowly, until he feels confident he can keep more food down again. Kolivan eats silently beside him, pacing himself better than Keith, Coran watching him with a strange sort of softness on his face.

By the time Kolivan finishes his own portion, Keith’s pretty sure he’s not going to lose his dinner, and asks again for another bowl. This time, Coran allows him to have it, and the additional broth soothes the remaining ache in Keith’s stomach.

By the time the fresh fruits arrive, Keith’s fuller than he’s been in months. But it doesn’t stop him from enjoying them either, so different from the precious berries he and Acxa gather on Marmora. They’re larger, and smell sweeter. And when Keith takes a bite, flavor bursts inside his mouth with a mix of sweetness and bitterness that makes him wish he could eat these types of things forever.

When he finally feels like he can’t eat any more, he makes sure to thank Coran for the wonderful meal.

“Oh, no problem my boy,” Coran says. “This was nothing. Wait until we get to Altea. We’ll have you healthy as a horse in no time.”

Keith blinks. “So this is not Altea?”

Coran gives Kolivan a somewhat stern look. “You didn’t tell him?” he says, before turning back to Keith. “This is Kerberos, the Capital of Atlas. Altea is still a long way ahead, I’m afraid. I wanted to come meet you here so we could get acquainted, and so I could provide you with more comfortable modes of transportation than what you’ve probably experienced so far.”

Keith can’t help but smile and sigh in relief. He feels like anything would be an improvement on the crowded carriages.

“You can talk more about that in the morning,” Kolivan says. “For now, I think Keith and I should retire for the night.”

“Of course,” Coran says. “I shall go speak to the owner to get you a room. And I don’t think a bath would do either of you harm either.”

“We do not wish to impose,” Kolivan says.

“Nonsense. Let me just take care of everything,” Coran says with a wink and a smile, before heading towards the counter.

…

_ To Krolia of Marmora, _

_ Keith and I have safely arrived in Kerberos. I will return home soon. _

_ Regards, _

_ Kolivan _

…

The room they get is about the same size as the bedchamber of Keith’s family back at Regent Castle, and seeing an actual bed almost makes him cry after all the nights spent sleeping on the ground. He and Kolivan simply leave their things in the room before they are shown to the backyard with a wooden tub to wash in. Keith’s never liked baths in Marmora and they don’t wash often either because of the cold. Even with heated water, the Castle’s freezing nature makes it difficult to stay warm, which in turn may cause them to fall ill.

But here in Atlas, the outdoor air is warm enough for him and Kolivan to wash comfortably, soaping up and washing with buckets before resting in the tub. The hot water feels wonderful on Keith’s sore muscles, soothing and easing his pains and tight spots. He’s almost sad when Kolivan tells him to get out, even if it was starting to get almost too warm. He hadn’t even known feeling like that was possible.

Feeling warm and full for the first time in what feels like his whole life, Keith’s almost ready to nod off in his towel on the soft bed when Coran comes knocking on their door, his head misty with weariness.

“I hope the bath has left you feeling better,” he says, stepping inside, carrying some things in his arms. “I brought some necessities for Keith. Could you sit up for me, lad?”

Keith swallows down a whine, remembering Kolivan’s words to be good for Coran, and manages to sit up.

“There’s a good boy,” Coran says with a smile, sitting behind him on the bed, laying down his things beside himself. “Now first, let’s get your hair looking nice and tidy. Such beautiful locks shouldn’t be kept unmanaged like this.”

Keith feels Coran start touching his hair, before he  _ pulls _ , hard enough that it makes Keith’s head fall back and him cry out in pain and surprise.

“I’m sorry, Keith,” Coran says. “I’ll try to be gentle, but your hair needs a lot of work.”

It seems to take forever, with a lot more  _ pulling _ and  _ tugging  _ that at least helps him stay awake. Eventually, whatever Coran is doing becomes almost soothing and much gentler. A repetitive motion through Keith’s hair that reminds him of how Acxa used to pet him sometimes to comfort him. His eyelids keep drooping, feeling heavy and hard to keep open.

“There,” Coran says brightly, loosening his touch on Keith’s hair. “I brought you a change of clothes, too. I thought you might not want to slip back into your dirty outfit after you’ve been cleaned.” Keith turns to look at him over his shoulder, seeing Coran hold up a white dress. “Why don’t you change into this and then tuck in? I’m sure it’ll feel better than a wet towel.”

Keith does a quick work of losing his towel and pulling on the white dress. The fabric is softer than anything he’s ever felt, flowing gently and smoothly over his skin. He yawns. The dress feels almost like a warm hug, ready to lull him to sleep.

“Go to bed, Keith,” Kolivan says, pulling back the covers. “You’ll need to be well-rested in the morning.”

Keith doesn’t have to be told twice, quickly climbing in. The covers are soft and warm around him, and he finds himself nodding off soon enough.

Perhaps this strange world outside his home isn’t all bad.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Keith realizes as his consciousness begins to rise back up again from weary darkness is that he’s warm.

He can’t remember a time he’d woken up feeling like that, with his feet feeling cozy under the blankets, safe and comfortable in the soft nest of his bed. He curls up tighter around himself, trying to cling onto the last threads of his sleep for a while longer, unwilling to open his eyes and leave this warmth.

Unfortunately, the world doesn’t seem to be willing to let him do that. Before Keith can fall back asleep, a knock rattles his ears. “Keith, my lad?” Coran’s voice comes slightly muffled into the room. “Can you let me in?”

Keith groans into his pillow, pulling the covers tighter around himself. “Kolivan, can you open the door.”

There’s no answer. Without opening his eyes, Keith reaches over to the other side of the bed, hoping his touch might rouse Kolivan from beside him. But as much as he tries to blindly reach out, his hand finds nothing but the bed. There’s not so much as cooling warmth or scent to let him know someone has at least been there.

It’s that thought that makes his eyes snap open and look properly over the bed. There’s no one beside him.

His heart jumps into his throat and Keith sits up. He takes a quick glance around the room to make sure, but…no one there either. Kolivan’s things are gone too. Only his own meager luggage remains, set in the corner where they were left the night before.

He lifts the covers off himself, jumping off the bed with a painful pounding heart, and hurries over to the door. As he draws it open, he finds himself staring up at Coran’s face with fear twisting his stomach. “Where’s Kolivan?”

“I’m sorry, Keith,” Coran says softly, crouching down to his level, looking him in the eyes and putting a hand on his shoulder. “I tried to tell him he should wait until you woke up.”

Keith’s throat grows tight. His eyes burn. He swallows hard, forcing himself to speak, but all that comes out is a small squeak-like, “He’s…gone?”

“He left to return to Marmora before sunrise,” Coran says, his words coming out almost a sigh. “He’s never been particularly fond of goodbyes.”

A blurted sob breaks through Keith’s lips before he can force it back. Kolivan hadn’t been the best or kindest travel companion he could’ve asked for, but he was at least someone familiar, someone Keith knew and trusted. Someone from home, who knew where he’d come from. His last connection there. And now he’s really been left alone. As kind as Coran seems, he’s still a stranger whom Keith had never met before the previous day. The Altean doesn’t know anything about Marmora or about Keith.

Keith can almost feel the last thread of the bond he has with his home island, with his family, snap somewhere inside of himself.

“I know this must be difficult for you, Keith,” Coran speaks up softly, making Keith look at him through his blurred vision, and see his gentle, sad eyes. “I can’t even imagine how much. But I promise you, I’ll do all I can to make sure you will be as all right as you can be with me. I know I can’t replace your family or your home, but…I hope I can at the very least be a place where you can feel safe and comfortable so long as you are in Altea.”

Keith chews on his lip, trying not to let more tears slip from his eyes. A part of him just wants to scream in Coran’s face. Demand he take Keith home. But then the images of Acxa and how he saw her fall flash before his eyes. He remembers the look in Kolivan’s eyes when he said staying here and heading to Altea is his duty.

He can’t be selfish. He swallows down his words, his tears. Not trusting his voice yet, Keith simply nods silently at Coran. More than ever, he must be strong. He must be a lady.

“There’s a good lad,” Coran says with a small smile, giving his shoulder a pat. “Now, why don’t you get changed into the clothes I brought for you yesterday, and then we can have some breakfast. It’s best we both gather our strength while we can.”

Keith nods, turning around and wiping his eyes on the sleeve of the white gown he wore to bed. The dress Coran left for him the night before is simple, made of earthy green fabric that is soft and smooth to the touch; much nicer than most of Keith’s old dresses. He changes quickly, making sure to fold the dress he slept in. The new gown fits him well, for once not too loose at the shoulders or the waist like he’s used to.

“I left the brush on your nightstand,” Coran says. “We should groom your hair again, and perhaps tie it back? That way it won’t get so tangled up again.”

Keith makes a noncommittal noise, shrugging, as he sits down on the edge of the bed. Coran quickly comes to sit behind him, much the same way he did before Keith fell asleep, and starts smoothing out his hair again. This time it takes a lot less effort there’s hardly any pain. At least that is something Keith can be grateful for. He feels Coran tie his hair up at the base of his neck, before he senses the Altean’s weight shift off the bed.

“Well, we better get going,” Coran says, brushing himself off. “No time to waste. We still have a long journey ahead of us.”

Keith lowers himself down on the floor as well, allowing Coran to lead him out of the room.

…

_ Coran, _

_ Forgive me. Help Keith understand too. Take care of him. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Kolivan of Marmora _

…

Despite the bitter taste left in his mouth by Kolivan’s wordless departure, the smell of food downstairs is enough to rouse hunger in Keith once more. His stomach gurgles as he and Coran take their seats at the same table as yesterday and the owner comes to take their order.

“Sausages, eggs, some fried fish and bacon for me, please,” Coran says. “Some fruit, milk, bread and butter for the young lady.”

The owner nods, heading off to get their food.

“We’ll see if you can keep more food down today,” Coran says, unfolding a white napkin from his pocket and placing it over his lap. “If you can, you can have some off my plate. We’ll need to get you used to different things and flavors. A lady cannot afford to be picky.”

Keith nods absentmindedly, his mind still elsewhere, even with his hunger twisting his stomach. Where might Kolivan be at this moment? Is he already in the next town? How long will it take him to get back to Marmora without Keith? How could he just  _ leave _ ?

Keith sniffles, pushing down another wave of burning in his eyes. He refuses to cry more over Kolivan. He’s just grateful Coran doesn’t seem to notice. The last thing he wants is to seem weak in front of his new guardian. He refuses to be more of a burden than he already is.

The breakfast is as delicious as the dinner the night before, the fresh bread still warm from the oven and the butter melting on its surface and in Keith’s mouth. Once he’s shown he can keep the bread and the milk down, Coran hands him pieces of his own breakfast to taste. The salty strips of bacon that feel crunchy in his mouth, leaving a tasty, salty grease on his lips. The sausages that are equally salty and greasy and good but more chewy in his mouth. The soft eggs, familiar from old birthdays that seem so distant to how casually Coran eats them.

As much as Keith would like to keep eating, just one piece of each of Coran’s dishes is all he is apparently able to handle, quickly starting to feel full to the point that his stomach begins pinching on the inside. He soothes the thirst the salt has left behind with the milk, taking small, gentle sips to calm his full stomach. It soothes him enough that he’s able to grab one of the sweet-smelling, round and soft fruits provided for him. Its flavor bursts in his mouth like an explosion of flavor, leaving his fingers sticky. Keith greedily licks them, wanting to savor every bit of the sweet juice before he can no longer eat more. He ignores Coran’s raised eyebrows at his actions.

When he sits back in his chair to signal he’s done, Coran moves to gather the remaining fruits into his napkin. “We can snack on the rest on our journey.”

That manages to finally rouse a smile out of Keith.

After breakfast, he’s given a moment to wash his face in the bowl of water left for him in the room he spent the night in, and gather his things. When he heads down, Coran is finishing up paying the owner of the inn, and soon after, the two of them leave the building.

To Keith’s surprise, there is a carriage waiting outside the door. At first, he’s sure it can’t be for them, but Coran pulls him towards it, opening the door in its side for him and holding out his hand to help him in. “Step inside, m’lady. You can leave your things on the ground. The driver will take care of them.”

Keith’s head swims. The carriage is easily the nicest one he’s seen, with a surface painted in whites and silvers, and vines carved into the metal decorating the wood. How much does a ride in something like this cost? There don’t even seem to be any other people inside or heading towards them. Surely it can’t mean the carriage is just for him and Coran?

Because Coran is still expecting him to move, Keith forces himself to swallow and steady himself. He takes Coran’s hand, actually thankful for the support he gives Keith to climb the steps into the carriage, because his legs feel rather unsteady beneath him. On the inside, Keith would guess the carriage is about the same size as the ones he and Kolivan have used thus far, but its emptiness makes it seem bigger. The seats also look much more comfortable, softened with deep blue cushions and pillows.

As Keith takes it all in, his eyes eventually land on the window opposite to him. For a moment, he thinks with relief that someone else is about to climb aboard from the other side. A young servant perhaps, in a green dress.

But then he realizes, that’s him. It’s his reflection in the glass.

Keith hasn’t gotten many chances to look at himself in his lifetime. Only sometimes in the sea water, when the waves weren’t too harsh and gray. But he’s never seen himself look like this. He’s much more well-groomed than usual, without the wind having messed up his hair. Instead, Coran has braided his shoulder-length locks into his skull, leaving a little free tail to start at the base of his neck. He can now see what he already felt, his new dress fitting him better than Acxa’s old ones and being much cleaner and nicer, too. And although he still looks skinny, for possibly the first time, there’s a bit of color on his cheeks.

He doesn’t look like a lady, not yet. Not in these simple clothes, likely meant to be fit for travel rather than society. But he doesn’t look like the downtrodden child he’s used to seeing when he looks at himself either.

He’s shaken out of his thoughts when he feels the weight of the carriage shift and turns to see Coran climbing aboard behind him. Unlike Keith, he takes his seat immediately and without trouble, motioning him to do the same. Just as Keith sits down beside Coran, the carriage nudges forward and starts to move, pushing Keith’s back to hit the back of the seat.

He sits up properly, grateful for the cushions that lessened the blow, before turning to Coran. “Isn’t anyone else coming on?”

Coran blinks. “Oh no, my boy, this carriage is just for us.”

Keith sucks his lower lip into his mouth. Coran must indeed be very wealthy if he’s able to afford to have a whole carriage for just them. Not to mention one as grand as this.

“I’ve rented this carriage to take us to the mountain range separating Atlas and Altea,” Coran continues. “Once we get there, we’ll need to change the mode of transportation, of course. Carriages weren’t quite built to withstand such an environment and roads as they are up there.”

He strokes his facial hair with his fingers, once again covered by the white gloves. “I must say, however, that I cannot wait for us to reach Altea and get to travel with efficiency once more. These types of carriages are becoming quite old-fashioned where I’m from, as much as it took me some time to get used to the new ones.”

Keith bites down on his lower lip just so he doesn’t hiss out loud. Before he left Marmora, he had never seen so much as a horse, Ore being the only mode of transportation that they have or really need on their small island. As uncomfortable as the carriage rides have been thus far, he has to admit that to even have them is an impressive thing in itself. And Coran just dismisses them like they’re something everyone has used forever.

The only reason Keith even bothers to try and be polite is because Coran has been nice to him so far, much nicer than Kolivan over this journey, even though he’s only just met Keith. He’s fed him and is now taking care that they can travel as comfortably as they can. For that alone, he deserves Keith’s respect and good manners. Even if he really has no clue about the world beyond his own.

“Regardless,” Coran continues, clapping his hands together. “We can at least spend this time we’ll be travelling by doing something productive. You cannot read yet, am I correct?”

Keith nods, swallowing as he feels his cheeks flush. The way Coran says it, like reading, too, is another thing he assumes people just  _ know. _ He makes it feel like such an embarrassing thing to admit his own lack of skill. Even if he can’t be sure how old children are when they learn to read elsewhere. Acxa had started to learn last summer, but the harsh winter put a pause on that, and his parents and the elders had said Keith was too young to learn. Keith also knows a lot of the elders on Marmora don’t know how to read at all, and some of them even thought the idea of him and Acxa learning silly. Back then, Keith had even secretly agreed; it wasn’t like there was anything real to read on Marmora and no actual need for the skill either, since everyone works in the mines.

“Not to worry,” Coran says, patting Keith’s shoulder. “I promise you, by the time we get to Altea, you’ll know how to read and write.”

Coran reaches down for the bag at his feet and pulls it into his lap, opening it. “Let me tell you something, Keith. Something I want you to remember, alright?” Keith nods, sitting up a bit straighter to show he’s listening. “’Knowledge is power.’ That’s very important. As long as you can read, all the information in the world is available to you. And that is your greatest weapon. You may not be the richest of them, or have a title of your own…but you can be  _ smarter  _ than anyone else. And that is how you can be stronger than them.”

Keith swallows, his heart thumping in his chest with sudden excitement. He’s been confused and dragged around at the whims of others since he first Saw, without barely any explanation as to why. Perhaps if he learns to read, he’ll finally be able to understand it all a little better. Perhaps he can learn  _ why  _ and  _ how _ . Perhaps he can finally  _ know _ .

He watches Coran draw out a book from his bag with eager eyes, able to see there are a few more inside the bag. He’s never seen so much paper, and Coran is handling it like it’s nothing. It makes him feel a bit dizzy.

“We’ll start with the basics and work our way up,” Coran says cheerfully, as he opens the book in his lap, revealing pictures accompanied by what Keith recognizes as letters. “Let’s start with the alphabet, shall we?”

…

_ Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz _

_ K E I T H _

_ C O R A N _

_ A X A _

_ M A M A _

_ P A P A _

_ M A R M O R A _

_ A L T E A _

…

Having a task and a goal to focus on for the journey makes days pass by fast for Keith. He quickly learns the alphabet, then to read simple sentences and write familiar words into the blank book Coran had brought along. Little by little, the letters and the words on paper become alive for him.

It helps that Coran is a good teacher; patient and kind with him, but never patronizing. He never pushes Keith too far, always reminding him to take breaks, eat snacks and take naps. And although Keith feels like he could easily sleep in the carriage over the nights as well, Coran makes sure they stop somewhere every night.

“It is really for me, lad,” he says with a smile. “I’m afraid I can’t travel like I used to. Not to mention I do not wish to put our driver through sleepless nights.”

Keith’s not really complaining, especially since he doesn’t have to sleep on the ground anymore. The quality of the beds he rests in varies from town to town, but he doesn’t complain. He gets to eat good, nourishing food every day and bathe every night. As time passes, he gets to try all sorts of new foods and slowly notices his ribs starting to disappear into his skin and that all his clothes fit even better. And although he still misses home, he finds it a lot easier to smile now and he can concentrate better on what Coran is teaching him when he’s not constantly thinking about his next meal.

By the time the weather is almost constantly warm, Keith notices the Second Moon has arrived in the sky of the town they’ve stopped in for the night. He and Coran have moved onto reading a short book together for practice and it actually takes Keith some time to realize that he’s completely missed the Celebration of Death. And he’s had no visions for a while either.

Guilt gnaws at him. Mama had told him to be good and pray to Death, and now he’s missed his Protector’s most important day of the year. Perhaps him not Seeing for a while is some sort of a punishment for his lack of discretion? Keith might not like his powers, nor where they’ve led him to, but he knows by now it is too late for him to turn back and return. If he could no longer See, everyone would be so disappointed in him. They had done so much to get him where he is, and to return now would be horrible. He would’ve let them all down.

His chest filling with new-found determination, he nudges on Coran’s sleeve. “Is there somewhere I can pray to Death here?”

“I am sure we can find you a temple,” Coran says gently.

They ask around from the locals, who point them to the small temple at the back of the town. Coran helps Keith light some incense on the non-descript alter, and Keith kneels before it, murmuring Death’s prayer under his breath a few times.

‘I’m sorry I forgot your Celebration,’ he thinks to his Protector as hard as he can, hoping Death will hear him. ‘Please keep looking out for me. I need you now more than ever.’

“Keith,” Coran says, touching his shoulder. “It is getting late. We should go and get some rest. I’m sure this is enough praying.”

Keith swallows, but nods, and gets to his feet, allowing Coran to lead him to the inn they’ll be staying in tonight. He can’t deny that he’s tired from another long day on the road. It always seems strange how much travel can wear him down despite the fact all he does is sit and study. Despite his weariness, he makes sure to recite both Death and Life’s prayers in his mind before he falls asleep that night. He keeps doing it every night after that, too.

Perhaps his Protectors hear his prayers, because it doesn’t take very long after his visit to the temple for him to have more visions again. However, what is different this time is that Coran always listens to him when he tells him about them, warning the carriage driver when they’re about to hit a rock and knowing to take a different route when bandits are about. Although a part of Keith is relieved to at least know he hasn’t lost his powers completely, his visions still tend to leave a bitter taste in his mouth. But Coran gently accepting them, not magnifying them somehow makes him feel a little better. It’s nice to be listened to for once, to be able to help, even if it is in rather small ways.

Not long after he and Coran have moved from reading and writing onto simple mathematics in their lessons, Keith begins to see the mountain range in the horizon from the carriage windows, which Coran confirms is the last stop before they’ll cross the border to Altea. It still takes them a few days before they reach the base of the mountain, where they find a little village that they stay over the night.

The next morning, they wake before the sun, and get bundled up for the cold mountain air. Afterwards, Coran leads Keith to the very base of the mountain, where he pays a couple of locals to take them across the mountains with big, hairy animals that have large horns and vaguely resemble cows under their fur. The animals are loaded with their luggage and Keith and Coran each climb on one.

The locals clearly know where they are going, taking Keith and Coran over the best and easiest path over the mountains. The air gets colder and colder as they climb up, and more difficult to breathe, as though the air freezes in Keith’s mouth. The coldness of the mountains isn’t wet like on Marmora, but bone dry and still, like the mountains themselves. Even with the winds, Keith can’t help but admire their solemn, pure beauty and grand size. Coran doesn’t seem to agree, shivering on his beast with a grumpy expression on his face the entire ride.

When they reach the top of the road, and Keith can finally see Altea, he can’t hold back his gasp. Any story couldn’t have prepared him for what he sees, or done this land justice.

The first thing that strikes him is how  _ bright  _ everything is. Altea looks like a sea of stars on a fresh, green bed, twinkling in a way that seems almost unnatural. The buildings are tall even from this far above, standing up like towers towards heavens in every city, painted in bright colors that only seem to add to the light.

“Oh, my beloved Altea, how I’ve missed you,” Coran sighs beside him, as they begin their descent down the other side of the mountain. “Although I’ll be gladder once we’ve fully made it off this mountain. But for now, bask in the sight of it, young Keith. This will be your new home. Be proud of it.”

Keith swallows, all sorts of feelings twisting in his stomach. “…What happens when we get down?”

“There’s still a bit of a journey to the Capital of Oriande once we reach ground,” Coran says gently. “But Altea is the most advanced nation of our time. Our travel time will be cut much shorter than it was in Atlas. You will still have a few more months before the new semester starts at the Institute, to rest after the journey and to get you used to Altea. And for me to finish preparing you, as much as I can. After that, you’ll start your proper studies with the other Magicians. The other Seers.”

“And you’ll be my teacher there?” Keith asks, hopeful.

“I’m sorry, my boy, but no,” Coran says softly, his eyes sympathetic and sad. “I am not ‘gifted,’ as they say, so I cannot teach you the craft of magic. But you’ll have many competent teachers with extraordinary gifts who will help you learn more than I ever could.” Keith’s not sure he believes that. “And I’ll be there to act as your guardian.”

“So I will live with you?” Keith asks.

“Until the semester starts, yes. And during breaks from school, if you so wish,” Coran says. “I will even come on visiting days if you want me to. But the Institute has a long history of housing its students and giving them a home at the facilities, so you can connect and learn with and from your peers.”

Keith swallows, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. Outside of Acxa, he’s never spent time with other children close to his own age. The next closest person to him in age on Marmora was Regris and he was already working in the mines by the time Keith had been born. What do children his age normally even do or talk about or do? What if they don’t like him? What if he doesn’t fit in with them?

“Creating companionships is a part of being a lady, Keith,” Coran says, perhaps sensing his worry. “Don’t concern yourself with that for now, however. It’ll be a while yet before you start your studies, and once you do, I’m sure you’ll make many good friends. It’ll be alright, you’ll see yet.”

Keith licks his dry, cold lips, not daring to argue. He just wishes he had Coran’s confidence.

…

_ 2 + 3 = 5 _

_ Five is Death. _

_ 1 + 0 = 1 _

_ One is Life. _

_ Life + Death = Crossroads _

…

It is nearly night by the time their small party reaches the first town in Altea on the other side of the mountains. By that time, Keith is as grateful as Coran seems to be for warm baths and beds. It feels strange to realize just how much this gentle-weathered summer, so different from what Keith’s used to, has spoiled him. Before he didn’t know much else but slightly milder, less bone-chilling changes to the harsh winters of Marmora. Yet now, even one day of cold feels like long enough.

That first night, nothing feels too different from any other town or inn they’ve passed. The food is fairly similar, and the town is small and doesn’t have any of those heaven-reaching tower buildings Keith saw from above. The only real thing to note is that Alteans have the pointed sharp ears and marks shaped like crescent moons under their eyes in different colors, just like Coran. Otherwise, they very much resemble Atlasseans, which Keith supposes makes sense since the stories say they were once one people.

It is on the second day, after breakfast, that things start to become strange. The very first thing being that, when Keith goes outside the inn, the carriage waiting for him and Coran doesn’t seem to have any horses or other animals in front of it to pull it along. Instead, there is just the regular driver, sitting in front of some kind of a wheel.

“Where are the horses?” Keith turns to ask Coran with alarm.

Coran smiles at him. “Here in Altea, we don’t need horses as much anymore, though you’ll learn to ride one at the Institute regardless, as a proper lady should,” he says. “This is what we call an ‘automobile.’ It is one of our latest shows of technological advancement. It runs on fuel and machinery rather than animal strength, and it will make our journey much shorter than a regular carriage would. We will be in Oriande within a few days, you’ll see.”

Once the so-called automobile gets out of the town and onto the road proper, Keith finds himself believing Coran’s word. The landscape seems to almost fly past him, in such a rush that it makes him both dizzy and frightened. It seems unnatural that anything should move so fast, and through means he doesn’t even really understand. It’s so strange to think that a few months ago he hadn’t so much as ridden Ore before, and now he’s in a carriage that doesn’t require any animals to move at all.

Little by little, perhaps noticing his anxiousness and hoping to distract him, Coran manages to pull his attention back onto his writing and counting exercises. After that, the journey passes on much the same as before, to Keith’s great relief. He gets a couple more visions about things like not being supposed to bite into the sweets Coran buys for them lest he break his tooth, and that if they act quickly, they can get fruit on sale in the next town. By the third day in the automobile, he finds himself even enjoying the ride, the speed exciting and new, wind blowing in his hair in a strangely pleasant manner when he opens the window.

At the same time, the differences between Altea and Atlas grow easier to see, as the cities they pass by and rest in, grow larger. If Kerberos had been impressive, then Altean cities are downright breathtaking in their grandeur, even more so than Keith was able to see from the mountains. Stretching himself as tall as he can to see the top of the tallest buildings hurts his neck, there are more automobiles around, and more people. The meats and vegetables look and taste different from Atlas too, but Keith likes them just as much as anything else. He’s especially fond of the golden candies he mustn’t bite into, sucking on their sweetness for hours as he reads the books Coran gives him.

What Keith doesn’t like nearly as much is that each Altean he sees makes him feel rather the same about his appearance as he did when he first met Coran. The simple dresses Coran gave to him are the nicest clothes he’s had, and yet they pale in comparison to all the finely-dressed people in the cities, in their bright colors and refined cuts of their clothes. Keith’s still wearing his old pair of shoes, too, which have become dusty and worn with the road, and he feels like everyone is looking at him wherever they stop. Like he has no place there.

He hates that he kind of feels like he doesn’t, himself.

It comes as a relief in more ways than one, when on the fourth day of the journey through Altea, Coran points out through the glass of the window. “There, Keith. We’re approaching Oriande. We’ll be home soon.”

Keith immediately leans over to stare out, and his mouth falls open. Oriande looks like a city built of castles, its towers gleaming bright and tall in the sun. It’s the biggest, most beautiful place he’s seen, almost dream-like in its size and impossibility. How can something like this even exist, even be real in the world?

Coran doesn’t even try to pull his attention back to his learning, allowing him to watch as Oriande grows closer and closer, and through that, bigger and bigger. As it draws nearer, Keith can see not all buildings are as tall as the other, spreading out over the green landscape far into the distance. There are houses of similar sizes and shapes as he saw in Atlas, the taller buildings towards the middle of the city. The roads are smoother than in Atlas though, and not nearly as bumpy beneath him. He takes in the beautiful buildings, the automobiles, the people and animals, the shops and everything else until the driver makes a turn to a lovely three-story house, almost big enough to be a mansion. It has a lush, beautiful yard and land, with trees and bushes and flowers growing in the garden.

The automobile stops in front of it, and Keith turns to face Coran, seeing him smile at him. “We’re here, Keith. This is my home. And when you’re not at school, I hope you’ll regard it as yours, as well.”

…

_ Dear Kolivan, _

_ We have arrived safely home in Oriande. The journey went without problems. I will have Keith write a letter to his family for himself once he’s settled in. You will be glad to know I have found him a bright and attentive student thus far. _

_ Your old friend, _

_ Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe _

…

Coran’s home is about the same size as Regent Castle back home, but a lot quieter. Aside from a few servants – and the notion of having those alone makes Keith a little dizzy – Coran lives by himself. Nearly everyone on Marmora called Regent Castle home, aside from the few mated couples who chose to live on their own, like Thace and Ulaz. And even they still came around for supper and stories each night, and there was always chatter and affection to go about to replace food and heat. Compared to that, Coran’s home seems almost lonely.

Still, as Coran takes Keith on a quick tour around the house, he has to admit it’s also very comfortable. There’s no trace of the coldness clinging to the walls, and carpets mute the echoes of the floor. There are beautiful paintings adorning the walls, of landscapes, imagery and people who more or less resemble Coran, and vases and other decorative items to add to them. Every room has a fireplace to keep out the chill during the winter months.

Coran doesn’t show him the entire house the first day. Both of them are exhausted from the long journey and relieved for it to be finally over, so he’s content to give them time to rest. He only shows Keith enough so he knows how to go to the most necessary places. Starting with the kitchen.

“You can come here whenever you feel hungry for a snack. Mrs. Celvan will give you something whenever she’s awake,” Coran nods towards the lady working at the stove. Him having a cook of his own at least isn’t as strange to Keith, having gotten used to ready-made meals on the road. And even on Marmora, some of them were better chefs than others, and often took care of most of the cooking.

“But I won’t deny you midnight snacks either, you just have to get them yourself,” Coran continues. “The mealtimes here are nine AM for breakfast, one PM for lunch, and six PM for supper, followed by some tea and sweets.”

Coran claims they will mostly be using the informal dining room, which is beautiful with its tall open windows, gentle-colored walls that reflect the light, and long lovingly carved table of gleaming wood. Keith doesn’t really understand why it needs to be called an “informal” dining room. Isn’t it just a dining room, or a mess hall?

After the way to the places to get food have been cleared, Coran picks up Keith’s things and leads the way upstairs. At the top of the stairs, he heads to the left. “The servants’ quarters are on the third floor, and the guests rooms are to the right,” he explains. “This way are the main bedrooms, for myself and for you, as well as the upstairs door to the library. You’re free to use it. In fact, I welcome it. The best way for you to practice your reading is with books, and they are also the best way for you to learn more about everything in the world.”

As Coran leads them forward in the corridor, pointing out the library door on the right side, Keith’s heart pounds with excitement. He now knows how to read and he’ll have access to books here. Perhaps, if what Coran says is true – and Keith has no reason not to trust him on his word – he can finally understand a little bit more about why he’s been sent here. No one has been willing to explain it in plain words, but he knows he needs to know. It’s the only way he can really understand his purpose here and why it is so important to everyone on Marmora. It’ll help him figure out just in what way he can be useful to the others.

Coran leads him to the final door on the left side of the corridor. “This will be your room. Mine is right next door, if you ever need me at night.”

He pushes open the door of beautiful shining wood, stepping inside. Keith follows with cautious feet, and immediately stops as he comes in view of the room.

It is beautiful. And huge. The ceiling is tall and painted dark blue, covered in stars like the sky. The poles of the enormous canopy bed reach towards it. There are three floor-to-ceiling long windows with deep red, heavy curtains around them, a closet and a chest of drawers painted similar soft white colors and carved with beautiful decorative tops and legs. Keith’s new room has a fireplace like all the other ones in the house, two comfortable-looking, large chairs set beside it. There is also a table with a mirror attached to it, with some paper scattered and a pen on top. He even has his own clock on the wall.

“Through there you’ll find your own bathroom,” Coran says, breaking Keith out of his shock and pointing towards a door beside the bed on the back wall, before setting down Keith’s luggage. “Towards the beginning of the semester, we’ll go to the city to get you fitted for your uniforms and purchase any other things you may need for school. A couple of casual dresses probably won’t hurt either...”

“Coran,” Keith cuts in, his throat feeling a bit choked up. His eyes are burning as he looks Coran in the eyes, his chest tight with emotion. “Thank you. For all of this.”

Coran gives him a gentle smile, walking over to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t need to thank me, Keith. I just hope I can make you feel safe and at home. Now, why don’t you take a bath and change clothes before dinner? I think it is best we both get to sleep early tonight, don’t you?”

Keith nods, for the lack of anything better to do.

“I think it might be nice if you wrote a letter home to your family, to tell them you’ve arrived safely,” Coran says, gesturing towards the table with the mirror. “I am sure it would mean a lot to them to hear it directly from you. And you’ll get to show off that you can write now at the same time.”

Keith sniffles back his emotions, managing a smile. “That…that sounds wonderful.”

Coran nods. “You can pass all the letters you wish to send on to me, and I’ll make sure they reach your family. I promise I won’t read them.” He gives Keith’s shoulder a couple of more pats. “Come along now, and I’ll show you how the bathroom works, so you can get in. I would bet it’ll be something you’ve never quite experienced.”

Keith swallows, but follows along as Coran starts to lead him towards the door by the bed. He’s not sure how many more surprises he can take.

…

_ Dear family, _

_ I have learned to read and write from Coran. We have arrived in Oriande in Altea. It is a beautiful place. Coran’s house is comfortable and nice. Here, the water comes straight into the tub, warm and ready to use! It doesn’t have to be heated up or brought in at all. Coran says that is because he has “indoor blumping.” _

_ I read a lot in his library. He has more books than I have ever seen. I am trying to learn as much as I can before school starts. Coran says that is important. _

_ I will write again, when I can.  _ _ I miss _

_ Your loving son and brother, _

_ Keith  _ __

…

As the days pass on, the library soon becomes Keith’s favorite part of Coran’s house, even more so than his room, lovely as that is. The library itself is almost the size of a small house, covering both bottom and top floors, with curling stairs to climb up and down between them. Everything is neatly organized, and the sections are named, so once Coran explains to Keith how it all works, he’s soon able to look around between the tall shelves and look for books himself.

There are tables and chairs, as well as a similar reading corner with a fireplace as in his room, so Keith doesn’t usually see the need to take the books away from their resting place. To gather the information he needs, he starts with history books, figuring they will be the best source for answers. It takes him a few days to find books on Marmora, since there aren’t many, but the few that he finds are more than enough. The background information on Daibazaal, the home Kingdom of the Galra, that he gets to read before them helps put a fuller picture together, as well.

He reads on how Daibazaal has always very few resources other than the minerals and ores the Galra people mine, just like on Marmora. Nearly all food aside from some animals and vegetables that can survive the cold and arid landscape is imported. Daibazaal has always been respected for its military prowess, Galra being a warrior people with the best weapons, with their skills focused on creating and using them. The Galra are known for their swords and armor in particular.

But just like Rolo the Boatman said, people cannot live on metal alone, and most of the common resources on Daibazaal like food and textiles were precious and in the hands of the nobility and the wealthy, the people who owned the mines or traded with the minerals. Not the regular workers in the mines. In the end, roughly two hundred years ago, some miners and other impoverished and suffering people of Daibazaal rose up in a rebellion against their masters. The rebellion lasted for nearly a year, and there were victories and losses on both sides.

However, in the end, the lack of resources that had caused the miners to rebel in the first place led to their final loss. Weakened by the lack of nourishment and unable to get more, because fleeing members of the nobility rather set their storages on fire than let it fall into their hands, and without proper weapons, the rebellion was eventually defeated and lost.

Still, their numbers were too grand to put all of them to death for treason. It would also mean the loss of much of Daibazaal’s working force. Instead, the Emperor of the time decided to send them to exile on the Isle of Marmora. It had been discovered and attached to Daibazaal some decades before the rebellion took place, found to be even richer in minerals than their native land, but also even harsher a place to live. As punishment for their treachery, the rebels were sent to populate the island, to work in the mines for the Emperor and Daibazaal, only allowed to keep barely enough of their mined metal and ore to keep themselves alive.

_ It is said, however, _ Keith read in the pages of  _ “The Brief History of Marmora: The Punishment of Poverty” _ ,  _ that the spirit of rebellion has never left the heart of the people of Marmora, now consisting of the offspring of the old rebels as well as convicts sent to the Island in the later years. If Marmora was independent, with how rich the land is, it could be one of the wealthiest places in Erran. It seems likely that this is exactly what its people desire as well, the final way to repay their ancestors and their brave deeds… _

Keith bites his lip, trying to breathe evenly as he looks up from the book, taking the words in. He understands now. Coran was right. Knowledge really is his greatest asset.

He’s here to help Marmora become independent. His people want him to gain them the power and allies they need to become strong enough.

And he’s going to do everything in his power to make sure to do exactly that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Keith finally reaches Altea. You know what that means! Time for some more important characters to make an appearance next time :D.
> 
> Keith's spelling mistakes are intentional on my part, since he's still learning to write and some words/names are foreign to both him and Coran.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, we have a guesstimate of chapters now. It might change if certain chapters stretch out, but this is what I'd assume would be the length for the moment :).

Little by little, as movements pass by, Keith finds himself settling into his new life at Coran’s house. He spends most of his time reading, either at the library, in his room or in the garden. The latter, he finds himself enjoying more and more as the summer months progress, sitting in the warm sunlight in the shade of a tree, letting the smell of grass and flowers wash over him. Coran’s gardens are beautiful and lush, and Keith enjoys the way the gentle weather caresses his skin and the grass tickles his bare legs and feet. He feels at peace out there, accompanied by the soft quiet of the wind rustling in the branches and the occasional birds singing.

He reads more about the history of the Kingdoms, but he also quickly finds himself branching out to other topics. He reads fairy tales, novels and tales of adventure. He reads about plants and learns to name every flower in the garden. He reads on mathematics and practices the equations on paper in his room. He practices his writing with letters home, telling his family of everything he’s learned. He tries not to let it bring him down when he rarely receives a reply, knowing paper and ink are commodities they rarely have on Marmora. He could potentially send them some paper and pens, but he’s not sure how well they would take it. It might seem like he was boasting over his new life, when that’s the last thing he wants to do. So, for now, he settles to his fate of not receiving letters back. As much as he wishes he had at least some sort of proof that he isn’t just shouting into the void.

To distract himself, Keith picks up books on proper etiquette and magical theory, things he’ll be learning once he starts school, just so he feels somewhat less useless. The etiquette seems strange and frankly ridiculous most of the time. He doesn’t really understand why there are so many rules and regulations when things could be done so much more simply and easily. But Keith does his best to memorize as much of what he reads as he can regardless. He doesn’t wish to stand out more than he probably will in any case at the Institute.

Magical theory, however, is written in such a way that it almost seems like whoever wrote it was speaking a whole different language. It is all about how magic is supposedly born in the body, magic as essence and its different uses and subcategories. If there is anything in the books about how to use magic, Keith doesn’t make it that far or he simply doesn’t understand it.

The thought of not understanding magic makes his stomach turn. What if this is all he’s ever going to learn? What if he can’t get any further than this with his powers? What if he never figures out how to really use them?

What if he lets everyone down?

There is only one fact he finds within magical theory that helps him. The fact that no one can get very far with their powers without training, and without learning how to use them properly they can even appear to vanish for a time. Keith hasn’t had all that many visions since he came to Altea, so knowing that it doesn’t mean his powers are completely disappearing even as he keeps praying puts his mind even a little at ease. He tries to stay hopeful that if he’s meant to learn to really utilize his powers at school, perhaps the Institute can make magical theory make more sense as well.

Keith does his best to avoid thoughts of hopelessness by leaving the books on magic alone, and escaping into other volumes. Secretly praying for strength from Death and Life, praying for them to help his gifts flourish. Taking in any and all information he can find on the Institute, its history and rules. Just so he’ll at least know something about how things work there and won’t feel completely out of place.

For the most part, Coran seems content to leave him be and let Keith do as he pleases. However, he insists Keith join him for each of the meals personally, rather than have food delivered to wherever in the house he might be on that day. Keith soon realizes that it is not simply because Coran wants to keep an eye on him, but rather another form of lesson for him. There slowly start to be more and more forks and knives to be used with each meal, especially with dinner. Keith, remembering what he’s read in books, spares himself most of that lesson by knowing which fork to use for what and when.

“How did you know?” Coran asks afterwards. “A mere month ago you barely held back on eating food with your bare hands.”

“I studied,” Keith says with a bit of a smile and a shrug.

That earns him a smile. “I told you reading would be good for you. But there is more than this to proper table manners, Keith.”

Keith is quick to find out what Coran means when he actually  _ ties  _ him to his chair to train him in to maintain a proper posture as he eats. It leaves him with trying to find the most graceful ways to reach for his utensils without moving. Coran teaches him how to properly fold a napkin over his knees, how to eat without sound, and how to appear like he’s barely eating while finishing his whole plate.

Coran is still a patient and kind teacher and he doesn’t demand more of Keith’s time than it takes for him to successfully finish a meal. Soon enough, Keith is allowed to sit without the straps tying him to sit up, able to maintain a straight back on his own and eat gracefully. Coran always tells him ‘well done’ afterwards, before sending him off to do what he himself enjoys.

It all becomes a routine of its own of learning, reading and relaxing. Until one day at breakfast, Coran announces it is time for them to do shopping for the school semester.

It completely throws Keith off, the summer still warmer than he’s used to it ever being back home, although he can recall a strange sense of the air smelling different of late. He hadn’t realized how much time has passed. The thought of having to leave this new normal just when he’s gotten used to it brings his mood down so much he barely says a word when Coran takes him around Oriande in his automobile.

The dressmaker’s shop and the taking of his measurements for his uniforms and a few regular dresses of his own, the buying of riding gear, books, shoes, fencing gear, even the buying of a wooden sword barely rouse reactions out of him. When once Keith would’ve been ecstatic to have all these things, to know he has the chance to learn with them and use them, none of it rouses much of a reaction now. He doesn’t offer opinions when asked which colors he’d like for his dresses, allowing Coran to pick them out. At least Keith will have something to remember him by while he’s at school then. He answers questions politely and with one-worded answers when asked how something feels on him or in his hand, but nothing more, his head feeling like it’s filled with cold mist that clouds his thoughts.

Still, it’s not until they’re in the automobile on their way home that Coran says, “You’ve been quiet all day, Keith. Is something wrong?”

Keith licks his lips, making a noncommittal noise and shrugging. He turns his eyes firmly on the window, not really seeing the city even as his eyes pass it by. He doesn’t understand the point of talking about what is going on with him, or how he’s feeling. It’s not like Coran or anyone can do anything about it. The reason Keith’s in Altea in the first place is so he can go to school at Oriande Institute for Magicians. There’s no use complaining about how that thought still leaves him miserable, even if he now better understands why he must.

“My dear boy,” Coran says, his voice soft and sympathetic, even as Keith still refuses to look at him. “I understand change can be difficult to handle, even when we tell ourselves we’re prepared for it.”

Keith swallows down a hiss, knowing Coran doesn’t deserve it. He’s been nothing but good to Keith, even if trying to force this issue is making his blood boil. “I don’t need this to be turned into a lesson, Coran,” he says as calmly as he can muster. “I know what I must do, and I will do it. There is nothing else to it.”

Coran sighs. “I wish you wouldn’t look at this as a burden, but rather as an opportunity. You’re going to meet so many people, learn so many things. You can have a good life, Keith, if you only let yourself. Don’t let the chance fly past you.”

This time, Keith can’t hold back a hiss, and his head finally snaps in Coran’s direction, fire burning at his core. “Well, it’s not what I wanted!” he screams. “I never asked for this! I just wanted to stay home with my family, not be sent to this country to learn about powers I never wished for and can’t understand!”

“I know that,” Coran says firmly, but not raising his voice to match Keith’s. “I know it is unfair. But want it or not, Keith, this is another lesson for you. Life doesn’t always hand us what we ask for; we all must learn to make the best of what we have. You can stew in your own misery forever and let it rule you, keeping your head down for the sake of your duty, or…”

The inside of the automobile falls silent. Keith can hear his own shrill breaths, the engine running and the wheels on the road, but nothing else. “Or?”

“Or, you can raise up, accept what you have, and find the good in it,” Coran finishes, his voice hard but still low.

Keith swallows, lowering his eyes down on his knees. His heart is still pounding hard in his chest from his outburst. But as he tightens his fists in the fabric of his skirt, he also has to admit Coran has a point. He won’t admit he’s fully right, but Keith knows the fact he’s been allowed to eat as much as he likes in the past months and spend his time doing what he likes, even if he’s far away from home, is more than most of Marmora can ever say. He can also count himself lucky that he got Coran as his guardian. He could’ve ended up with someone far, far more horrid. His situation as a whole could be a lot worse.

He can’t quite bring himself to be grateful he’s here, or that this has been put on his shoulders. But he can be grateful for some things related to it at least. And for the chance his people have in this, even if he’s not entirely happy it has to be through him.

He and Coran don’t speak until they reach the mansion again, and even then, it is only to say goodnight. But Keith thinks Coran understands that he’s listened and is thinking about what he said.

…

**_First Year Seer students for Oriande Institute for Magicians will require:_ **

**Uniform**

\- Two Sets of the Fall and Winter School Uniform, In the Color Determined by the Magic Specialization

\- Two Sets of the Spring and Summer School Uniform, In the Color Determined by the Magic Specialization

\- Durable Shoes

\- Sleeping Gown

\- A Helmet for Horse-Riding

\- Riding Gear (Boots, Clothes, Crop)

\- Dancing Shoes

\- Dancing Uniform (Black and White)

\- Fencing Uniform (White)

\- Fencing Helmet

Please note that all student’s clothes should carry nametags at all times.

**Books**

\-  _ Mathematics I  _ By Misa Joywaters

\-  _ Practical Exercises for Young Seers  _ By Loralynn Halltower

\-  _ A Brief History of Erran, Book I  _ By Jamal Atticus

\-  _ Theory of Magic, Historical Perspective I  _ By Narrell Cuvas

\-  _ Seers and their Powers – a Theory, Volume I  _ By Trystaine Pontik

\-  _ Politics of Erran – Historical and Current, Book I  _ By Vallaria Niall

\-  _ Good Manners and How to Act Accordingly – a Guide to Simple Court Etiquette, Book I  _ By Ylor Vall

**Other Equipment**

\- Notebooks, Pencils, Pens, Paper

\- A Set of Painting Tools

\- An Instrument (If the Student Is Already Proficient in One)

\- A Wooden Practice Sword

…

Unlike when he left Marmora and when Kolivan left him, at least this time Keith knows when the next day of change is coming and how soon. His new clothes arrive within a few days, the uniform a deep violet color with a white-striped embroidered collar and knee-length skirt. It is tightened around the waist with a simple belt with a symbol in the buckle, likely the Institute’s mark. The material of the uniform is smooth, light and airy to the touch.

Coran teaches Keith how to put the uniform on properly; the tie knotted beneath the collar, the belt buckle resting on his left hip bone above the skirt. He makes Keith put on the white socks and simple, sturdy new shoes to complete the look.

Just like that first time he saw himself in the glass of the carriage in Atlas, Keith almost doesn’t recognize himself when he looks in the mirror in his new uniform. The color brings out his eyes, and the summer and the food have brought out the pinkness on his pale cheeks. His dark hair is now smooth and soft, even when left down, growing past his shoulders. He’s even been learning how to tie it back for himself.

He looks…nice. Like a proper, good student, if not quite like a lady.

Coran also helps him pack his bag again, filling it with the new outfits he has, a few sleeping gowns, his other new supplies and some other necessities.

“Keith,” Coran says once they’ve put the near-full bag aside. “I hope you’ll learn to think of the Institute as your home in time. But you’ll always have a place here with me, as well.” Keith nods silently, unable to quite put into words what he wants to express. “I want you to have something to remember that by. I know you love the library more than any room in this house. Therefore, I’m letting you choose one book to take with you to the Institute. It will be yours, for as long as you want to hold onto it.”

Keith sucks in a breath. “But I can’t! You’ve already given me so much…”

Coran places a hand on his shoulder. “Accept the gift of it, Keith. May it give you strength. You have until the day you leave to decide which one you want for yourself.”

As a result, Keith spends even more time in the library during the following days than before, trying to choose which book he likes the best. There are the history books which are important and remind him of his duty. The more contemporary histories he hasn’t gotten around to reading yet, with all their information about the courts and royal families of the kingdoms. The etiquette books which will help him forward. The books on magic that he might be able to understand better once he’s at school.

He loves all of them. But none of them feel quite right. They’re practical, but he’s sure the Institute will have a library of its own. And what else would they have books on than the things they’re supposed to teach?

No. Keith can’t choose this based on duty. Coran said he wanted it to be a reminder of something akin to home. His duty is only his duty because he loves his people and Marmora. Otherwise, he could easily walk away from it all. Similarly with this, he needs to actually care about the book he chooses. As Coran said before, he needs to make the best of what he’s given, and learn to gain happiness from the little things he’s granted in life.

In the end, he chooses an anthology of fairy tales from all the kingdoms, including some of the ones he’s grown up hearing from the elders on Marmora. A reminder of his old home and his new one.

Coran smiles at his choice in a way that makes his eyes crinkle. He almost looks proud as he gives Keith’s head a pat for his choice.

…

_ To Crown Princess Allura of Altea, _

_ Dear Princess, you may have learned by now that I have taken in a new ward to attend the Institute alongside you. His name is Keith. He is a little younger than you and will specialize in Seeing rather than Healing, but I still must ask of you a favour. I believe Keith may be experiencing some anxiety over the upcoming semester and everything that comes with it. He has not been around many children his own age and has only been in Altea for a few months. Therefore, I am asking you to be kind to him. Try to be his friend if you can. He needs someone he can depend on, at least to start out with. _

_ As I am certain your Noble Father has already told you, His Majesty has asked me to take you to the Institute with Keith. Therefore, I shall introduce the two of you when you come here on the first day. I look forward to seeing you. _

_ Your ever loyal servant, _

_ Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe _

…

On the day he is to leave for school, Keith wakes up before dawn. The first thing he does is draw himself a bath in his tub, knowing it’ll be the last long one he’ll be able to enjoy in a long time. From what he’s read, while washing at the Institute won’t be quite so miserable as on Marmora, the bath waters will be shared and not too much time can be taken in them. Besides, he wants to look his best on his first day.

Still, for the first time since arriving here, Keith hesitates for a moment in reaching for bath oils and scents to wash into his skin. So far he’s only wanted to use them to feel as clean as he can after the long journey to Altea, but now he wonders. Have the scented oils changed the way he smells, by now? Would his family recognize him if they smelled him now? It is said children like him all smell rather the same before they mature, but Keith also hates the idea that none of what he’s already gone through has attached itself to his skin. Has what he’s experienced not matured him?

The idea of washing away the last of his identity of being from Marmora off his skin makes him cold, even in the steam of the hot water. Once he leaves this house, will anything of who he was remain?  _ Does  _ anything remain, now? After all, he barely looks like someone he recognizes anymore, and he knows he’s already starting to forget things from back home, as he learns new things. Not just the difficult things like the cold and the hunger, but also the good, the things he loved. Like how big Papa’s hand was on top of his head when he’d muss up his hair. What fresh berries tasted like with thick, sweet cream during the Celebration of Death. What Acxa’s rare, lilting laugh sounded like. What Mama’s embraces felt like.

Spoiled with good food, his own time and better clothes and rooms has made him forget to remember to think about these things. Made him almost forget to miss Marmora.

Keith can’t let himself forget. And though it might bring him trouble with his peers, he doesn’t want them to forget either.

He has several different scented soaps and oils to choose from. All summer, he’s been experimenting with them. He knows the combinations and the smells by heart. And although he may not know what he himself smells like, or smelled like in the past, he knows which combination reminds him most of home. And that’s what he wants to smell like on his first day.

He pours the oil called “winterberry” into his bathwater, before settling into the hot water with a sigh. After a while of relaxing in the heat, he grabs the sponge and squirts some bath soap called “whistle of the wind” on it and begins scrubbing his skin until it turns pink and the muscles in his arms ache with the motion.

By the time Keith finally emerges from the tub, the water has cooled and the sun is starting to rise in the horizon. He grabs a towel, doing a much faster job at drying himself than he did with washing. His hair is still damp when he grooms it, but he figures it’ll still have some time to dry and tied up, it won’t be so easy to tell. He finishes his hair with the soft lavender ribbon Coran bought for him, before dressing up in his uniform that he laid out for himself the night before.

He grabs his ready, packed bag and heads downstairs for his final breakfast at this house.

When he reaches the informal dining room, having left his bag in the lobby to wait for him, he blinks at what he sees. Unlike other mornings he’s eaten here, today it is not just Coran sitting at the table. Beside him, on the seat directly opposite to the one Keith’s taken for his own, sits a young girl perhaps a little older than him. She looks up from her plate towards him as he enters, meeting his eyes with her own, colored like the sky on the clearest summer day, accompanied by lilac pupils typical to Alteans. Her skin is a rich dark brown, her hair silvery white, tied up in curly braids to the back of her head. Earrings of purple jewels hang from her pointed ears and her crescent moon marks under her eyes are a soft pink.

She’s wearing the same uniform Keith has on, except in teal, signifying she’s not of a Seer, but a Healer class. The two white embroidered stripes on her collar mark her a year above Keith in her studies.

“Ah, good morning, Keith,” Coran says with a smile, also looking up from his newspaper. “Come, take a seat. It’s going to be a big day, so you best eat well.”

Keith licks his lips, feeling cold sweats gather at the back of his neck at the curious bright eyes of the Altean girl. Having a new, unexpected element in what he thought was his safe space puts him on edge. He’s not sure what to do or if he should say something, especially since he has no clue as to who she is. He knows, of course, that she must be an older student and that alone deserves his respect. But her earrings also suggest she can’t be another one of Coran’s wards but more likely someone with wealth and prestige to her name. Is this another one of Coran’s lessons? Trying to see if he can conduct himself properly in company as well as alone?

As Keith takes his seat, Coran gestures towards the girl with his hand. “This is P…I mean, Allura. She is a daughter of a friend of mine, and a student at the Institute just like you. I agreed to take her with us today, since I’m afraid my friend was too busy to drop her off himself.”

Keith swallows, looking up slightly, shyly, to meet Allura’s eyes. “G-good morning, milady.”

“Hello, Keith,” Allura says, her voice lilted with an Altean accent. “You don’t need to be formal with me. We’re both students of the Institute, aren’t we? You can just call me Allura.”

Keith licks his lips, his heart pounding all the way in his throat, as he reaches for the bacon and eggs, even while his stomach turns at the smell. He’s not sure what he’s supposed to say, so he focuses on his meal instead, even though he barely tastes anything.

Coran, apparently sensing the awkwardness, clears his throat. “You were telling me about the ball for the end of the summer, P…Allura?”

“Oh, yes!” Allura breathes, her eyes sparkling with her smile. “Father let me attend for the first time this year. There was music and dancing, and everything sparkled! Father danced with me all night, until my feet hurt, and he sent me to sleep.” She giggles. “It was amazing. And the next day he told me I had been a proper little lady all night.” She turns her eyes on Keith again, almost making him choke on bacon. “Have you attended a ball yet, Keith?”

Keith swallows hard. “I-I’m not sure,” he says shyly, feeling his ears burn. “During the summer, when the nights are long, we sometimes stayed up late back home, with music and dancing and stories.” He can’t help but smile a little at the memories, almost able to smell the fresh fish laid out on the table and hear the notes in his ears. “But I doubt they were so formal as yours.”

“That sounds like fun,” Allura says. “Sometimes I wish the balls we have could be more like that, incredible as they are. But they are important as learning experiences, and it is my duty to learn how to conduct myself in them.”

“I know what you mean,” Keith says softly. “I am here because of duty too.”

“The gifts we have…they’re an honor and a burden at the same time,” Allura says softly. “I am the first in many generations to hold these powers in my family. I want to do them justice and learn how to use them, so I can best serve my people. But it does pain me that learning all that means I must be away from my parents.”

Keith’s heart floods with warm understanding. “I feel the same.”

Allura blinks up at him. “Oh no, I am so sorry,” she says, her expression darkening with sorrow. “How rude of me to talk about missing my parents when you’re so much further from yours.”

Keith gives her a small smile. “I don’t mind,” he says. “It’s…nice to have someone who understands.”

Allura blinks a couple more times, before her expression melts into a smile of her own. “It truly is. You can’t imagine just how much.”

As Keith reaches to grab some toast, his eyes briefly meet Coran’s, and Keith sees him hide a smile in the rim of his teacup.

…

_ Dear Coran, _

_ I have told you that you need not to address me so formally. I will gladly come meet your new ward, however. On one condition though. I do not want you to tell him I am the Princess. It should not matter at the Institute regardless, but I can feel it does. Only Lotor ever treats me as a proper equal. I do not want more friendships that are not like that for myself. _

_ I look forward to seeing you as well. I cannot wait to tell you about my summer! _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Princess Allura _

…

Soon after breakfast, Keith, Allura and Coran all load up in Coran’s automobile, the driver taking and loading up the bags of both Keith and Allura. The two of them remain in a friendly chatter, sitting beside each other in the seats, and Keith already feels a little better about this day knowing he’ll at least have one friendly face to look for at school, even if he and Allura won’t share all the lessons because of their different magical specializations.

The automobile ride takes a while, although Keith is fairly distracted by his new companion. They travel to the edges of Oriande, where houses slowly begin to grow rarer and the green pastures and trees larger, until a lovely, white and teal, large building comes into view.

“Look, there it is!” Allura cheers, seeing it.

Keith looks with curious but nervous eyes, cold sweat beginning to gather at the back of his neck again. “It’s beautiful.”

Allura smiles softly at him. “Are you nervous?”

Keith swallows, licking his lips. “A little.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be alright,” Allura says, covering Keith’s chilly hand with her own warm one. “I’ll introduce you to my friend Lotor once we make it to the Institute. He’s a Seer like you, so you’ll share some of the same classes. And I’ll be in the Omega classes with you, and we may have some common ones such as art together as well.”

Keith manages a smile for that, warmed by the comfort of his new friend and her care, as he watches the castle-like Institute grow closer and bigger through the window. Little by little, other automobiles and horse-drawn carriages begin to come into view as well, as do the people already gathered in front of the main doors to the building. Parents with their children of various ages, and the Institute teachers, recognizable by their own uniforms in their subject’s signature color, the same as that of their students.

Allura leans into the window from above Keith, her eyes darting all over from one person’s face to the next. “I see him!” she cheers after a moment. “I saw Lotor!”

Soon after that, the automobile stands still, and Allura doesn’t take her time before she’s pushing the door open and rushing off to find her friend. Keith’s more willing to wait a moment, to take it all in. There are so many people, their chatter now loud and joyous in his ears through the open door. He watches as Allura pushes through the crowd in a run, before tackling someone in an embrace. Before Keith can take a better look at him though, other people get in the way.

“Come along, Keith,” Coran says, getting to his feet and stepping out of the automobile in a few easy steps. He holds out his hand to help Keith down, as so many times before, and the gesture makes Keith smile just a little. Coran’s touch is reassuring in all this dizzying noise.

As soon as Keith’s feet touch the ground, Allura comes running back to them, dragging along a boy in a uniform similar to Keith’s, except where his and Allura’s belts mark the beginning of their skirt, for him it starts trouser legs, and he has two stripes on his collar just like Allura. As he comes better into view, Keith can see his skin is nearly the same shade of purple as their uniform, his straight hair shoulder-length and white like Allura’s, with blue eyes on yellow backgrounds, and sharp ears.

He’s Galra. Just like him. But not of Marmora.

Of Daibazaal. The people who banished his people and continue to torment them.

“Keith!” Allura chirps breathlessly, turning to gesture towards her friend, who looks a bit flushed from the run over. “This is my dear friend Lotor. Lotor, this is Keith. He’s Coran’s newest ward.”

Keith bites his lip, and does his best attempt at a curtsy, even as angry acid burns at the back of his throat. He avoids looking Lotor in the eye. “Sir.”

Lotor’s lips turn into a friendly smile. “You needn’t be formal with me. Allura’s friends are also mine.”

“I told him so too,” Allura says happily.

“He’s probably only nervous,” Coran says kindly, and Keith feels him pat his shoulder. “We should get Keith registered to start with. Will you be alright by yourself for a moment, Allura?”

“I’ll be fine,” Allura says with a smile. “I want to catch up with Lotor in any case.”

“Don’t leave the courtyard. I’ll come back for you soon,” Coran says.

“I won’t.”

Keith allows Coran to take him by the hand and lead him past the people in the yard towards the main doors. He takes one last look at Allura and Lotor over his shoulder, his emotions a storm inside of him. How can he be friends with someone who is from the place responsible for the misery he’s known his entire life? How can he even remain friends with someone who tolerates someone like that?

“What’s on your mind, Keith?” Coran asks. “Are you nervous?”

“No,” Keith starts, before shaking his head. “I mean, yes. But it’s not just that.”

“What is then?” Coran asks. “Has it something to do with Lotor?” At Keith’s blink up at him, Coran smiles softly, knowingly, down at him. “You tensed up when you met him.”

Keith bites his lip. “He’s from Daibazaal.”

“Ah,” Coran hums, squeezing Keith’s hand to get him to look up at him again, to pay attention. “I am not saying what the Galra of Daibazaal have done to your people is right. I know it’s not. But Allura is friends with Lotor for a reason, and you like her, don’t you?” Keith averts his eyes, but nods silently. “Then talk to him at least. Judge for yourself what he’s like. If you still find him someone you can’t get along with, then you can think more on your options and talk to Allura about them. I’m sure she’ll listen to you.”

Keith licks his lips, as Coran begins leading him up the stairs to the school doors. Just before they enter, he murmurs, “Fine.”

Coran smiles at him. “That’s a good lad. Now let’s get you registered.”

…

**_Schedule for Seer Students, First Year_ **

**Time**

| 

**Day of Life**

| 

**Day of Victory**

| 

**Day of Luck**

| 

**Day of Wisdom**

| 

**Day of Death**

| 

**Day of Wealth**

| 

**Day of Beauty**

| 

**Day of Power**

| 

**Day of Love**  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
8:00

| 

Breakfast

| 

Breakfast

| 

Breakfast

| 

Breakfast

| 

Breakfast

| 

Breakfast

| 

Breakfast

| 

Breakfast

| 

Breakfast  
  
9:00

| 

Riding

| 

Martial arts

| 

| 

Magical theory

| 

| 

Mathematics

| 

Dance

| 

Politics

|   
  
10:00

| 

Riding

| 

Martial arts

| 

| 

Magical theory

| 

| 

Mathematics

| 

Dance

| 

Politics

|   
  
11:00

| 

Practical Seeing

| 

Politics

| 

| 

History

| 

| 

History

| 

Art

| 

Mathematics

|   
  
12:00

| 

Lunch

| 

Lunch

| 

Lunch

| 

Lunch

| 

Lunch

| 

Lunch

| 

Lunch

| 

Lunch

| 

Lunch  
  
13:00

| 

Practical Seeing

| 

Politics

| 

| 

History

| 

| 

Magical theory

| 

Art

| 

Mathematics

|   
  
14:00-

| 

Free study

| 

Free study

| 

| 

Free study

| 

| 

Free study

| 

Music

| 

Free study

|   
  
16:00

| 

Dinner

| 

Dinner

| 

Dinner

| 

Dinner

| 

Dinner

| 

Dinner

| 

Dinner

| 

Dinner

| 

Dinner  
  
17:00-18:00

| 

Tea and reading

| 

Tea and reading

| 

| 

Tea and reading

| 

| 

Tea and reading

| 

Tea and reading

| 

Tea and reading

|   
  
20:00

| 

Lights out

| 

Lights out

| 

Lights out

| 

Lights out

| 

Lights out

| 

Lights out

| 

Lights out

| 

Lights out

| 

Lights out  
  
…

After being officially enrolled at the Institute and receiving his timetable for the upcoming fall semester, Coran and Keith head back outside to gather Lotor and Allura and their bags. Afterwards, all of them make their way to the enormous hall of celebrations in the East Wing of the school building for the welcoming ceremony. Coran helps Keith find his seat with the rest of the first years, before heading back to sit with the rest of the parents and leaving his luggage to wait with the other bags.

There aren’t many students starting out besides Keith, and even fewer dressed in purple like him. He doesn’t get much time to ponder on that before the lights in the hall go out aside from the ones at the stage. An older man with a grey beard and a monocle dressed in teal colors steps up to make a speech, introducing himself as Headmaster Trayling. He talks long about the traditions of the Institute and how he hopes all new and old students will bring honor to the school with their actions.

Keith can’t focus on most of it, a lot familiar to him from his books, finding his thoughts wandering despite his best efforts. Thinking about Lotor and Allura and how he’s going to talk to them, how he can ask them about his doubts and worries. His early waking is starting to take its toll, too, and he’s getting hungry for lunch.

His attention only perks up again when the Headmaster begins introducing the Head Teachers for each individual specialization of magic. He can’t help but swallow nervously upon the Seer teacher being introduced, able to feel the way his hands begin to sweat. Miss Hira is a peach-skinned stern-looking woman with her dark pink hair cropped short, hard heavy eyebrows and shoulders almost too square in their proper stance. She doesn’t look like a teacher that will make him and the others feel very welcome, the line of her mouth thin and pressed above a single beauty mark.

Finally, after all the Head Teachers have been introduced and the last speeches said, the lights come back on again. They are followed by applause from the audience, and the Headmaster urging everyone to find their dorms before heading for the cafeteria for a joint lunch for the students and their guardians.

Despite the crowd, Keith is quickly able to find Coran with his orange hair, along with Allura and Lotor.

“Come,” Allura says to him with a smile, taking his hand. “We’ll be sharing the sleeping quarters with the other Omega students. I’ll help you find your bed.”

Allura leads the group through the long, tall hallways with many doors, decorated not unlike Coran’s house with its paintings and vases, but without the warm carpets to muffle out the noise, everyone’s shoes clacking on the stone floors. Perhaps it’s meant to make it easy to detect students out of their beds at unpermitted hours. Keith holds tight onto Allura’s hand for security, the way he used to hold Acxa’s when he was younger, Coran carrying their things. He’s already a little scared of how he’s going to learn to navigate this place and make his way to the correct classrooms, when it seems so huge.

Allura leads them up the stairs that split into two halfway up, and Allura takes the left turn.

“The stairs on the right lead to the older students’ dorms,” she explains.

The stairs finally end in a door that Allura pulls open without a second thought, stepping through and pulling Keith along. The room that reveals itself finally makes him smile. It is a large, comfortable space with round walls and several fireplaces to keep it warm. There are many couches and armchairs set around the fireplaces, where some students have already taken their places to chat with each other, as well as tables and chairs scattered around, likely for studying. A few bookshelves have been set into the walls and beside them open up three more sets of stairs marked with “O”, “B” and “A.”

Coran is breathing hard by the time he comes in after them, setting Keith and Allura’s luggage down at his feet and rubbing his lower back. “Would you mind making your way up to the sleeping quarters by yourselves, Keith? I think I need to rest my feet for a bit.”

Keith nods with an agreeable hum, grabbing his luggage in hand as Allura does the same, and allowing Allura to lead him up the stairs to the “O” for Omega quarters. Thankfully, that one doesn’t have such a difficult climb, the sleeping quarters opening up for them quickly. They are fairly modest, especially after all Keith’s seen so far; just two rows of multiple beds on either side of the room, with a few windows to allow light in to reflect on their plain white sheets.

“The bathroom is at the end of the room, if you need to go during the night,” Allura says, pointing towards a door at the wall opposite to the stairs, before smiling at him. “Come on, let’s go find your bed.”

The mission doesn’t turn out to be very complicated, since the returning students already have had their things brought to their beds. Many of them also have some personal touches around them to mark who they belong to, such as drawings and pictures on the wall behind the bed. Most of them appear to reflect the occupant’s parents and family, and seeing them makes Keith’s heart ache. He has no reminders of his own family aside from his own memories with him here.

They find his bed quickly, the end of it marked with a plaque stating  _ Kogane, K. _ Keith places his bag on top of the chest at the end of the bed, likely meant to hold his things. He can unpack the rest later, but he makes sure to grab some paper and a pencil for himself. He wants to hand a letter to Coran to send to his family before he has to leave.

“I’m only a few beds down there,” Allura says, pointing towards around three beds removed from Keith’s, smiling brightly at him. “It’ll be nice to have a friend up here, since Lotor is in the Alpha quarters.”

Keith blinks. “You don’t have any other friends here?”

The idea seems strange. Allura is so friendly and nice and she accepted and included him so easily into her life. To think Lotor might be her only friend… _ Lotor _ , from  _ Daibazaal _ . Who Keith’s still not sure about. But he can’t bring himself to think Allura could be friends with someone bad either. It can’t be possible. Not someone like her.

“Not real ones,” Allura says with a sigh. “Nobody wants to be friends with me just  _ because _ . They all just want something from me. And I don’t want friends like that.”

“Oh,” Keith breathes, unable to figure out what else to really say. For the lack of words, he instead squeezes Allura’s hand in sympathy. “And…Lotor is not like that?”

“He treats me with respect, but also as an equal. I can be myself around him and he tells me things no one else ever hears,” Allura says, her eyes sparkling warmly. “He’s been my one real, good friend.”

Keith swallows. Apparently, he really can’t lose Lotor without also losing Allura. He’ll have to figure something out.

…

_ Dear family, _

_ Today is my first day of school. I am giving this letter for Coran to send once he leaves. Currently we are having lunch. Everything is very big and lovely, and the food is good. Coran’s lessons on table manners help me now, although I still do not really understand why there are so many rules and forks. _

_ I am nervous about what is to come, and about leaving Coran, but I promise I will do my best from now on. _

_ Your loving son and brother, _

_ Keith _

…

Towards the end of the welcoming lunch, the Headmaster comes into the so-called cafeteria, clapping his hands to gain everyone’s attention. “Everyone, I’m afraid it is now time to say goodbye. Students should head to their classrooms with their Head Teachers and start their lessons. Parents and guardians, it is time to go home.”

The fish in Keith’s mouth turns into ash. He thought he’d prepared himself for this, but to have the moment come so soon, so suddenly…it makes him want to cling to Coran and beg for him to not leave him. Not like everyone else.

But he can’t be a child anymore. He’s alone now, and he has his duty. He’ll have to be strong. A proper lady. This is the start of his road.

So, he simply leans over in his seat to hold Coran tight for a while. He feels Coran’s hand stroke through his hair. “You’ll be alright, Keith, I know you will,” Coran says softly. “You can write to me, the same way you do with your parents. I’d be glad of it if you did. I want to be able to know how you’re doing.”

“I will,” Keith mumbles into the fabric of Coran’s clothes, trying to fight tears. After a while, he gives Coran one last squeeze and forces himself to let go, handing him the letter he was writing as he ate. “Will you send this to my family?”

Coran’s smile is warm as he takes it.

“Of course,” he says, before turning around so he can hold Allura instead.

“Take care of each other,” Coran says to her, stroking her back and glancing over at Keith as he says it. As he lets go of Allura and gives them one final nod, Allura comes over to Keith and holds his hand again, as if to show a united front. Keith gives her a squeeze, thankful for the support, and hoping he can show it is mutual without words.

After a moment, Lotor’s voice cuts into the background noise of children and their families saying goodbye around them. “Come, Keith. We should go to Miss Hira, and Allura needs to go to the Headmaster for her lessons.”

Allura gives Keith’s hand a final squeeze, before letting go. “I’ll see you two in the common room later, alright?”

Keith manages a nod, watching the two friends exchange a brief embrace of their own, before starting to follow Lotor with uncertain feet. He keeps his arms wrapped around himself for safety and warmth, to keep himself at least somewhat steady. No matter what, he’s not about to reach out to hold Lotor’s hand. He needs to manage at least this much by himself.

There are already children around Keith’s age gathered around Miss Hira and the other teachers, and at the Headmaster’s word, the last ones saying goodbye begin to let go of their parents as well.

Soon enough, Miss Hira seems to count her class in full, turning to them with those scary, sharp eyes of hers. “Alright now. Everyone form two neat lines and follow me to your classroom.”

There is some quick scrambling as the group of around a dozen students get in formation. Keith ends up beside Lotor towards the beginning of the line, before Miss Hira makes an unreadable hum and turns around to lead them out of the cafeteria and towards the hallways. They walk for a while, before she turns towards one of the wooden doors on the corridor, takes out a key, and unlocks it. She lets her students walk inside past her.

“Come sit beside me, Keith,” Lotor says with a nudge of a smile, taking a seat in the front row.

Keith swallows. He’s not sure he wants to be this near to the Head Teacher, not to mention remain so close to Lotor, but he can’t find a good enough reason to refuse without sounding rude. He slowly takes his seat beside the Galra boy as the others also sit down behind the desks in the room and Miss Hira comes to stand in front of them before her own sturdy, wooden desk.

“Good day, everyone,” she says to them, her posture as rigid and perfect as before.

“Good day, Miss Hira,” the class responds in a chorus that Keith quickly follows to join.

“As you can all see, we have a few new students here in the beginner class with us this year,” Miss Hira says, her voice anything but welcoming and kind. “So I thought we should spend today getting to know each other, before moving onto the studies proper tomorrow. When I call out your name, please stand up and tell us a little bit about yourself.”

Keith swallows hard, his hands and the back of his neck sweating with nerves. What is he even meant to say in a situation like this? He feels like he forgets every last thing about himself he could mention.

Miss Hira takes out a clipboard from the desk behind herself, and begins to read. “Bavarrion, Luka?”

Keith turns to see a pale-skinned Altean girl with straight red hair and equally red markings under her eyes stand up behind him. “Hello, everyone. I am a second-year student and an Omega. I like sword fighting and praying.”

Keith takes quick notes in his mind. That didn’t sound too complicated. He can tell that much about himself.

“Good.” Miss Hira nods with approval, before turning her eyes down on the paper. “Kogane, Keith?”

Keith’s throat jumps into his throat, and he scrambles to stand on his feet. “H-hello, my n-name is Keith,” he stammers, and immediately feels blood rush to his face. Miss Hira had already said his name, him saying it again is completely pointless. “I-I…” What had Luka said again? “I’m an Omega?”

“Are you, now? You don’t sound sure about that,” Miss Hira says, causing the other students to giggle.

Keith lowers his eyes. “N-no…I mean, yes! I am an Omega.” Keith swallows, trying to think what else to say. “I’m…here for the first time?”

“Well, everyone can see that,” Miss Hira says. “You’re new, and you only have a single stripe.”

Keith’s eyes burn, and he bites on his lip. Why is she so mean? “I’m from Marmora, and…”

“And where is that, exactly? I am sure not many have heard of that place, with how far and small it is.”

“Miss Hira, that’s enough,” Lotor snaps, shocking Keith by standing up. His eyebrows are stern and the line of his mouth hard as he stares down the teacher, looking much older and braver than his young age. “I know you like to torment non-Altean students, but this is going too far. Can’t you see Keith is nervous? Just leave him alone already.”

An angry purple hue takes over Miss Hira’s face as her expression contorts and she bites her lip in frustration. “You may sit, Keith. And you, Mr. Sinclair, have detention for the rest of the first movement for speaking to your Head Teacher like that.”

Lotor doesn’t say anything, just sits back down, pulling Keith along with him by his sleeve. As Miss Hira reads another name off her list, Keith turns to whisper to him, “Thank you.”

“We half-Galra have to stick together, right?” Lotor whispers back with a smile.

Keith blinks. “You’re half, too, like me?”

“My mother is of Altea,” Lotor says. “A political match, as is typical.”

“My father is of Atlas,” Keith says softly, feeling a flood of companionship warm his insides. “Mama found him and brought him to Marmora.”

“Mx. Kogane and Mr. Sinclair, please pay attention or I’ll give you another movement of detention,” Miss Hira’s voice snaps them out of it.

“Yes, Miss Hira,” Lotor says, sounding as reluctant in his tone as he possibly can, even as he leans away from Keith. But he gives him a mischievous smile, and Keith can’t help but return it.

He may still have to figure out how Lotor feels about Marmora and about what his people have done to Keith’s. But for now, he thinks he can trust him. If he’s willing to help him at his own expense, there’s no way he can be a bad person. And his mother was Altean, so perhaps Lotor doesn’t share Daibazaal’s views through her influence.

At least, that’s what Keith desperately hopes. He would hate to lose the friends he’s just found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Here's](https://twitter.com/_artsy_alice/status/1294970983674023937?s=19) an art of Keith in his school uniform which I commissioned 💜.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although I am a week late, it feels pretty appropriate to post this chapter now, since it's mostly about Keith's birthday, and it is now October and my own birthday is this Sunday :).

Settling in at the Institute turns out to be easier than Keith ever expected. While it is true the first lessons made his head spin and mostly confused and frustrated him, having his new friends with him helps more than he ever could’ve imagined it would. It feels good to have someone to sit with during mealtimes – which continue as etiquette lessons just like they were at Coran’s house – and during reading time and free time. Lotor and Allura also help Keith catch up with school. They guide him through his difficulties, and take the time to explain things much better and more thoroughly than Miss Hira, who seems more interested in teaching her older students than making sure the new ones are settled in. Lotor aids him with taking notes and allows Keith to study his old ones from the year before, and Allura helps him memorize historically important dates and names.

Magical theory is still Keith’s least favorite subject, not least because it is taught by Miss Hira, who still seems to enjoy picking on him. It is incredibly tiresome, too, but with the help of his friends, Keith is able to somewhat keep up. At least at the Institute the theory is more attached to the practical exercises of magic, supporting the art of learning how to control the powers the students have. And even Keith has to admit it is useful to know, for instance, about the three known types of Seers. The ones who only see things they can change and how they can change them. The ones who only see things they can’t change. And the ones who can see everything, and will have to learn how to tell when they can make a difference, and when they must let things lie.

Keith’s not sure which type he is, yet. He knows he’s so far mostly seen things where he knew he could change how they happened, but he can’t yet be sure if that’s all he’s ever going to see. The practical exercises are starting to slowly help him with the control over his powers, so his visions don’t keep simply coming and going as they please. He, and the other students have been working on clearing their minds, calling for their powers at their core and focusing on what they want to know, usually in the form of a question they want answered.

Keith has been able to find out at which point to reserve his bathing time to have the water at least be somewhat warm, where he should go if he wants to avoid people after tea, and the time when a book he wants to read will be returned to the library, among other things. He doesn’t always See even when he tries, but he’s doing his best to not let that bother him. He knows he’s improving and that’s what’s important. No matter how cold and self-satisfied the grin Miss Hira gives him whenever he has nothing he’s Seen to report during the practical exercises. Keith tries his best to ignore the sting of hurt he feels when that happens, or not wonder why she never seems to call on him when he has something to actually report.

He’s just thankful that not all classes are taught by their Head Teacher, and that they have some shared classes with students from other magical specializations as well, as Allura mentioned. Keith, Allura and Lotor share art classes and martial arts classes together. They quickly become some of Keith’s favorites. Mr. Tavo, who teaches Art, is calm and gentle, and allows his students the space to explore with different materials and styles to find out which ones suit them best. Keith finds he likes the beauty he can create, the memories he can put into pictures with art, and Mr. Tavo always praises him with a warm pat to the head for his work. It makes Keith feel like he’s doing something right.

Martial arts, and especially swordplay, is fun in a different kind of way. The exercise of it, the competition of trying to outsmart your opponent gets Keith’s blood rushing. He loves the weight of his wooden practice sword in his hand, despite the painful blisters he suffers for holding it for the first few movements. Not to even mention the scrapes and bruises he’s given during the practice fights. He takes them all with pride, loving the dance of who gets to inflict more on their opponent. Allura and Lotor are still better in fighting arts than he is because they’ve had longer time to practice, but Keith knows he’s catching up. He’s good at reading their movements, knowing what they’re about to do, even if his technique isn’t quite as refined.

Dance classes are another favorite, as are those with riding. Everything physical simply sends Keith’s heart soaring. He likes discovering what he can do with his body, how high he can reach with it, and is learning how to use it. He learns how to move with grace even when he’s walking, how to adjust his body to work with his partner, and he finds he can apply those techniques to how he uses his sword and how he reacts to his horse. They’re not allowed to ride without the guidance of a teacher yet, and Keith can’t wait until he’ll get to ride freely with the wind in his hair and nothing but the wilderness ahead of him.

Aside from his friends, what Keith loves most at school, even more than learning, are the horses. Tending to them reminds him of home, just a little; of the way he and Axca used to look after Ore and Luxy. Most students dislike the duty of having to care for their own riding horses before and after the fact, complaining that they’ll have stable hands taking care of that in life outside the Institute, but Keith welcomes the work. To him, it would feel horribly disrespectful and ungrateful to not personally prepare and then thank his horse for the ride.

The animals are gentle and sweet when they’re treated with respect and care. Sometimes, when being inside the Institute becomes too stifling or he just needs something to do with his hands, Keith makes his way to the stables during the free study period to brush and talk to the horses. They all quickly learn to recognize him and reach out to him with happy whines when he’s given one of them to ride, pressing against him with the comforting warmth of their long heads. Keith gives them all gentle hugs when they do, unable to help thinking that there’s nothing better than this. If he could choose, he’d want to work with horses and animals for the rest of his life.

They’re a lot kinder than people, that’s for sure. Aside from his friends, most other students avoid Keith. He can feel them stare at him when he walks past in the corridors, can hear them whisper about him when they think he’s asleep in the dorms. About how he’s fooling no one; that it’s clear he’s a social climber from how he walks, talks, and looks. They talk about how they can smell poverty on him, that how he shows off in the more physical classes leaves a stink on him. Keith had thought he’d like others to know where he’s from, but after hearing that, he still found himself scrubbing himself pink in the bath, until the student next in line practically had to force the washing water over his soaped body.

He’d cried himself to sleep that night, curling tight around himself in bed and missing home so much he thought his heart would burst with pain. He can’t help but think how everyone wouldn’t dare speak like that if Acxa was here. She would never let anyone hurt him, even with words. He wouldn’t even have to tell her something was wrong, she’d just know. She always knew. And now, he doesn’t dare put his feelings into his letters, to his family or to Coran. He doesn’t want to sound like he’s whining, after they’ve put so much hope into him.

Keith knows he could tell Allura and Lotor, and they would do their best to cheer him up. But he doesn’t want them to have more trouble from him. Not when Lotor has already suffered detention several times for standing up for him, despite the fact he’s otherwise one of the smartest students in Keith’s classes. And the three of them don’t really talk about anything that relates to their lives before the Institute. In many ways, Keith likes it this way because he doesn’t want his friends to feel sorry for him, and so long as they don’t discuss the class differences between them, things can stay relatively uncomplicated and simple. His friends don’t know how poor his life has been and he has no chance to envy their wealth when it’s not shoved into his face.

There’s not really anything they can do to help him about their school mates, in any case. They can’t make people like or respect Keith. The best they could do would be to tell someone, and Miss Hira hates him just as much as the other students. They’d all just end up worse off for it, and he doesn’t want that. Not when what he needs most is his friends close by and in his life.

That’s all he needs. The rest of it he can survive, so long as they’re by his side.

…

_ Dear Allura, _

_ Thank you very much for your latest letter. I was very glad to hear your new semester has started out so well. I appreciate you taking the time to write to me between your studies. Your and Keith’s letters bring some much needed bright change into my days. _

_ Speaking of Keith, in case you are unaware, his birthday is approaching on the 23 _ _ rd _ _ of October. I was thinking it would be nice for us all to do something nice for him to commemorate the occasion, especially since you will not have classes that day. I was thinking we could take him out to Oriande for some fun activities. I could come receive you once you have enjoyed your morning meal. _

_ I would also appreciate some hints about things he might like to see and do here in the city. I know he loves books and his riding lessons, and has taken to art, but is there anything else that comes to your mind? I have a feeling he does not always tell me everything in his letters. _

_ Please let me know how my plan sounds and return to this letter soon, preferably with more updates on your life, as well. _

_ Your ever loyal servant, _

_ Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe _

…

With the days always scheduled hour by hour, there being homework to be done and animals to care for, Keith seems to barely notice the passage of months until the trees in Altea begin to take yellow, orange and red coats that make the landscape around the Institute look like it’s on fire. At least until the cold winds and constant rains begin to turn them brown. Everyone begins to wear more layers over and under their uniforms, and if you’re without gloves while riding your fingers quickly become numb. The skies are murkier than Keith’s seen in all his time in Altea and there is a distinct, familiar smell of winter approaching in the air.

It all reminds him of home, but that only serves to make his mood drop. The change of the seasons means his sixth birthday are also around the corner. He hasn’t told anyone about it. He doesn’t want a big fuss. Not when the date would so clearly reveal what he is. He’s enough of an outsider at the Institute without everyone knowing he’s a Boy of the Crossroads, someone Blessed by Death, as well. On Marmora, Death may be seen as someone gentle, as the one who releases soldiers and those in pain of their burden and allows them a peaceful rest. It is inevitable, constant and therefore familiar, even if it also brings sorrow. But Keith is also starting to learn that Alteans don’t seem to share that sort of positive feelings about his Protector. Even their version of the Blessings of the Nine says that Death “brings” misery rather than “ends” it.

It’s become yet another thing Keith wishes to discuss, not even with his friends. Honestly, the idea of telling them about how he’s Blessed by Death makes his stomach turn. He would rather let his birthday pass by as if it’s just another day than have them think there is something wrong with him, too, like everyone else. Even if this year his birthday is Dually Blessed because it falls on the Day of Death, one of the days they do not have classes, and they could perhaps do something nice together…

But no. It is definitely better to just let it pass on its own.

So, on the morning of his birthday, Keith wakes up as usual, washes his face and gets dressed in one of the plain casual dresses Coran gave him, choosing the black warm one with a white collar, since there are no lessons today. Afterwards, there is still some time before one of the Teachers comes to lead them down to breakfast, so he goes to sit on Allura’s bed as she dresses in a pretty golden dress, helping her button the back shut.

“Would you like for me to braid your hair?” Allura asks with a smile.

“Sure,” Keith says with a shrug. “I can do yours, too, if you want.”

Allura smiles at him, giving a gesture with her head, and the two of them settle into position on Allura’s bed, the girl starting with a quick brush through Keith’s locks.

“Your hair is getting long,” she says as Keith feels her delicate little fingers part and start settling his mane. “Are you growing it out?”

Keith licks his lips. He hadn’t thought about it. He had honestly barely noticed. There just hasn’t been a chance for him to get his hair cut. “I guess I could try it.”

“I think it’ll look nice,” Allura says. “You just need to remember to take care of it. Long hair requires maintenance. But I’ll help you.” Keith feels her shift the threads of his hair, hearing the roll and snap of the hairband. “There, you’re done.”

Keith shifts to face her. “Turn around.”

Allura puts her back towards him with a quick smile, allowing Keith to start brushing her soft locks, light and airy as the clouds. He’s not as good at doing someone’s hair as Allura, whose hairstyles vary day by day, and are almost always more elaborate than the simple braids Keith puts on himself. But he figures she’ll forgive him for the simplicity this one time. Perhaps another time she can show him how to arrange her locks in a more detailed manner and he can learn to do better. For now, though, he simply weaves her threads into a thicker, longer version of his own braids down her back.

Just as he finishes with tying it all up, Miss Merla comes in to command them and their fellow Omega students into formation of two paired lines with a clap of her hands, as usual. Keith walks with Allura beside him down to the common room, waving to Lotor in the Alpha line as the three lines of the three sleeping quarters are led down to the cafeteria, through the corridors that have become familiar to Keith over the months.

He decides to indulge himself today, since it’s probably the only thing he’ll get for his birthday, and piles all his favorites on his breakfast plate: bacon and eggs and fried fish and fresh cheese rolls and sweet fruits and even a couple of biscuits and hot cocoa to drive away the chill of the morning. He sits with his friends and they all eat as they chatter in a friendly, normal manner about nothing particularly important. It’s nice, and it makes Keith fill up with warmth and affection. This truly is all he really needs. Only this.

“What are your plans today, Keith?” Allura asks as they’re finishing up their meal. “Since we have no lessons?”

Keith blinks. “Probably just study? Or maybe go down to the stables for a bit. See if I have any mail later, and maybe send a letter home.”

“How about we go for a walk around the grounds, the three of us?” Allura asks with a smile. “It’s a nice day.”

She’s right about that. It is a bit chilly this early in the morning, but the sun is out for the first time in a while, and if they wear their coats they should be warm enough. And Keith could probably use some fresh air before he hides himself away in the library.

“Sure, why not,” he says, gulping down the last of his cocoa.

“Great!” Allura chirps, exchanging a quick nod with Lotor past Keith. “Let’s go get dressed and meet up at the front gates.”

She practically drags Keith away, rushing him to get dressed up warmly. They wait for Lotor at the foot of the stairs, Allura seeming unable to stay still. She keeps either tapping her foot or pacing around, and it’s starting to put Keith on edge by the time their friend does arrive. There is something strange about Allura’s restlessness that is making him feel weird and nervous, his stomach clenching up.

When the three of them step out the front doors, he figures out why. Coran is standing in the yard, bundled up in his own coat and the cold air is turning his breath into mist as he smiles at them. Not far behind him stands his automobile, his driver in his usual place.

“Keith!” he cheers, his facial hair looking almost like it’s on fire with the white smoke of his breath. “Happy birthday, my boy!”

Keith’s mouth falls open. “You  _ knew _ ?”

Coran blinks at his shock. “Of course I knew. You didn’t think Kolivan never mentioned your birthday to me?” He opens up his arms. “Come here now, let me look at you.”

Keith allows a smile to break onto his face, his shock washed away by his joy at seeing the man, and sprints into a run to embrace him. Coran cradles him, laughing warmly.

“You look good, my boy,” he says, hand in Keith’s hair as he bends his head to see his face. “The Institute becomes you.”

“It’s good to see you, Coran,” Keith says.

“We wanted to surprise you,” Lotor cuts in. “Since today is your birthday, we thought it’d be nice to do something special.”

Allura nods along with him. “Coran will take us to the city. We can spend a whole day doing something fun. You can choose what, since it’s your special day.”

Keith smiles at them, his chest glowing with warmth. How could he have thought so little of his friends as to think they wouldn’t accept him for who he is? To think they’d react badly to something so simple as his birthday?

He turns around and steps over to them, wrapping his arms around his friends. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Lotor says, patting his back.

“What would you like to do?” Allura asks.

The question hits Keith like a cold wave, and he pulls himself off the two with terror and nerves. “I…I don’t even know what there is to do in the city.”

“I had a feeling you might say that,” Coran cuts in. “Therefore, Allura and I have made some plans together. If something doesn’t seem fun to you, we can leave. But we better be going if we want to get on with it, it’ll still take us a while to reach Oriande.”

Allura takes a hold of Keith’s hand, her warmth barely felt through the layers of gloves, but he welcomes the touch, following his friends eagerly to the automobile.

…

_ Dear Coran, _

_ I did not know Keith’s birthday was so soon, he has not said a word! I did not even know he is Blessed by Death. How peculiar. I wonder what that may mean for him down the line? Some say people Blessed by Death bring bad fortune…although I suppose since he is also Blessed by Life, it cannot all be terrible for him, can it? I do not wish to believe it will. Keith does not speak of it to me, and I do not wish to push him, but I believe he has been through more than his fair share already. _

_ Regardless, he is my dear friend. I shall remain by his side, even if bad fortune may follow him. I have also decided thus that I will tell him soon who I really am. I think he deserves to know the truth by now. I just hope he takes it well. _

_ Keith does love riding and art. He is also becoming quite a good dancer and swordfighter. He seems to enjoy things he can do with his body, and spending time with the horses and in the library when he is not with myself or Lotor. Lotor tells me Miss Hira is not very fair in her treatment of Keith, which might be why he dislikes his Seer classes more. _

_ I am still doing well. Headmaster Trayling says I am progressing well in my Healing as well. I can Heal burns and deeper cuts now! It hurts knowing the people who come to us to practice our Healing on do not have anyone else to turn to, however. I know the Institute has a long tradition of helping the people living close by with their injuries and illnesses as the students work on their skills, but it still seems unfair. I think giving the countryside of Altea a proper Healer will be one of the things I want to present to my Lord Father once he will start taking my input into ruling more into consideration. _

_ Although I miss my parents and home, I think you were correct in that it was best that I came to the Institute to study magic rather than having a private tutor at the Castle. Although most people do put some distance between us, because of who I am, living close by and amongst them has given me more insight into their lives. I think it will be important down the line. After all, I want to be the best Queen I can be for my people, and a part of that is knowing the people. _

_ Still, I must admit it really is nice to have a friend in the sleeping quarters too. We have a lot of fun together, Lotor, Keith and I. My friends help keep me grounded, I think, as they treat me just like any other person. I have to confess I find myself envying Keith’s skills in art, just a little, however. That has not become any easier for me this year as compared to the previous one. Otherwise, I am doing well in all my classes, although I miss my friends in my Healing classes. I always look forward to our shared classes and mealtimes so we can be together. The cold is starting to get to me as well. I can never seem to put on enough clothing for the riding lessons. I already miss the summer warmth. _

_ Write to me more to solidify the plans for Keith’s birthday, alright? _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Princess Allura of Altea _

…

As soon as their group reaches Oriande, they switch to horseback rather than continuing onwards with the automobile. Keith rides with Coran, not yet familiar enough with how to ride by himself, but despite that and the cold, he’s glad for the wind in his hair and the feeling of freedom being on a horse brings him. Coran is even a surprisingly brave rider, galloping his horse into a real run when Keith promises to hold on tight, and Keith almost feels like he becomes one with the wind when they rush through the streets.

Their first stop is a cozy, old bookstore with a fireplace merrily warming the rooms with rows and rows, and piles and piles of books. Allura promises Keith her gift to him will be three of them that he can choose for himself to buy. Keith gives her a quick, tight hug in a show of gratitude, before losing himself in the rows of books, trying to choose for himself. He feels like he could stay here forever, or at least the whole day, just browsing titles and picking out favorites.

The first book he picks out is  _ A Brief History of Marmora: The Island of the Lost _ , which feels like a great find since books on his home are a rarity. Another is an adventure story about going into space, which felt too unimaginable to pass up on. Finding the third one gives him more trouble though. That decision just feels too final and there are just too many books to choose from. Novels, nonfiction, stories, facts…they all feel equally wonderful and fascinating.

Keith takes brief refuge in a corner of the store, trying to gather his thoughts sitting for a bit. He wonders if he should rethink his earlier two choices too, and the thought makes his head spin. At this rate, he really is going to spend the whole day at the store and as much as he likes it here, that’s not what he wants. He’s eager to see what else Coran and Allura have planned, to see more of the city, and being here is starting to become stifling and overwhelming. Perhaps he should just take the two books he’s chosen and leave the third one completely…

“Keith,” Allura’s voice cuts into his thoughts, and he looks up to see her standing above him, her face peering down at him. “Have you decided yet?”

“No,” Keith groans, leaning his head back, causing it to thud against the wall. “I can’t make up my mind about the third book.”

Allura crouches in front of him. “Then, would you mind if I chose for you?”

Keith looks up, blinking, feeling a sudden flood of relief as some of the tension bleeds out from his shoulders. “That would be wonderful. Please do.”

Allura smiles at him, pulling out a volume from behind her back.

“ _ Modern History of the Royal Families _ ?” Keith reads the title out loud.

“If you’re going to be a lady and a Seer in someone’s household, or even someone’s court perhaps, you’ll need to know the royal families,” Allura says.

Keith smiles at her, letting the rest of his nerves rush out of him with air. “That sounds like a good choice,” he says, before getting to his feet and brushing himself off. “Come, let’s head out.”

Next, they stop by a small children’s theater for a puppet show. The dolls seem lively and the story is a fun one with knights, princesses, dragons and magicians. The jokes make Keith laugh and clap his hands in delight along with the other children in the audience. Afterwards, they stop by a cart selling fried food outside the theater for lunch, enjoying crispy chicken, sausage and fish with fried potatoes warming them in the cold outdoors.

Once they’ve eaten their fill and have regained some more energy, Coran directs them to an art gallery. Keith finds himself growing quiet, losing himself in thought in front of the beautiful paintings. The landscapes he feels like he could just step into with interesting brush swipes making the shapes, the pictures of beautiful lords and ladies posing together or separately for their magnificent portraits, and the pictures he doesn’t quite know how to interpret, but likes all the same. They seem to speak to something deep inside of him with their colors and composition, and he finds himself wondering if he could someday express himself like that. Like an image of a dream.

Lotor’s gift for him is in the art gallery’s store; three items from there as well. Keith gets a book on art history, some postcards with prints of the pictures he saw in the gallery to put by his bed, and some new colors to paint with. He’s already looking forward to the art classes tomorrow, his head brimming with ideas. He just hopes he can use them for what Mr. Tavo assigns them to create.

The final stop of the day is a charming teahouse with a dessert buffet that makes Keith’s mouth fall open when he sees it. There are at least five different types of cakes, muffins, brownies, sweets, biscuits, rolls and fruits. He’s never seen so many sweet things in one place.

“I want to taste  _ everything _ ,” he breathes.

“Share pieces together amongst the three of you, and perhaps you can,” Coran says with a smile. “Otherwise I’m afraid you won’t get far.”

Keith, Allura and Lotor do as advised, splitting one piece of everything three ways, and actually manage to taste everything laid out at least once. Allura eats a bit more of a cake with sweet cream and vivid red strawberries, which is her favorite, Lotor likes the lemon cake and Keith the double-chocolate one, but that’s about everything they can manage. As much as Keith would love to keep eating, his stomach is starting to hurt and he doesn’t want to feel sick in the morning. It is just as well, though, because the day is starting to come to an end and they still have to make the journey back to the Institute. And in any case, the long day, as amazing as it has been, is beginning to wear on them all.

Allura and Lotor actually nod off against each other on the ride back to school in the seats of the automobile that came to pick them up. Keith contents himself with watching the darkening sky with its deep red hues that mirror the last of the leaves on trees. This has been one of the best days of his life. Tailor-made for what would bring him the most joy. He doesn’t want to miss a moment of it, weary as he is.

As the Institute starts to come into view, Coran pulls something from inside his coat, holding it out for Keith. “Here, before I forget. It’s from your family.” Keith accepts the letter gratefully, putting it in his bag with his other gifts. When he looks up, Coran has a beautifully wrapped present on his lap. “And here, from me. Happy birthday one more time, Keith.”

Keith holds up his hands. “No, Coran, I can’t accept this. Today was more than enough as a gift from you.”

“Nonsense,” Coran says with a smile, still pushing the package towards him. “And in any case, this is something important. You’re on your way to becoming a lady, Keith. You need to start dressing more like one, too, because today won’t be the last day you’ll be out in the city.”

Keith feels squirming in his stomach. He still wants to turn the gift away, to tell Coran to take it back, but…it’s in front of him now. Coran has already gotten it for him. He’s probably had it ready all day, if not longer. It’s not something he can just turn away, like he could if he had just offered to buy him something. That would just be unappreciative and rude, when he’s put so much thought into it.

He takes the present into his lap. “Thank you, Coran. For everything. Today was wonderful.”

Coran smiles at him, his eyes wrinkling with merriment. “You’re welcome, my boy,” he says. “I truly am glad you’re doing so well. That you’ve managed to make real friends.”

“That is thanks to you, too,” Keith says. “You introduced me to Allura. And encouraged me about Lotor. They’ve both been very kind.”

“You did more yourself than you think, Keith,” Coran says warmly.

As they arrive at the Institute, Coran and Keith shake the two other passengers awake, and say quick goodbyes before the three students head upstairs to their beds. Before sleeping, however, Keith opens up Coran’s present, both at the insistence of Allura and to satisfy his own burning curiosity.

It’s a beautiful indigo gown with a silver ribbon belt, clearly made for formal occasions and parties. A dress for a small lady.

Keith keeps it in its box, so as not to wrinkle it, and hides it under his bed.

…

_ Dear Keith, _

_ Congratulations on your sixth birthday and on starting school. We are all so very proud of you. We keep each of your letters and read them together with everyone over supper. Your sister seems to have found motivation in her own studies so she can read them by herself, too. _

_ Things here continue on as normal. We are hard at work preparing for the winter, as we can feel the cold winds starting to approach. Luxy seems to miss you as much as we all do, because Acxa says she keeps moaning when she comes in to feed her alone, looking behind her as if searching for you. _

_ Keep doing your best, and know all our thoughts are with you. We know you will become a great Seer and an honor to our Isle. Knowing you understand how important that is puts our minds at ease. _

_ Be well, and remember to stay warm as winter approaches. _

_ All our love, _

_ Your family _

…

After Keith’s birthday, the weather starts to turn even colder. Many mornings, there is a frozen shield of diamonds on the grass that is withering and turning brown, icicles beginning to form on the edges of the Institute’s roof, and artwork shaped with the bite of the frost in the window glass. Until one day, snow begins falling, and doesn’t stop until everything is covered in white and quiet. Often after their lessons, everyone heads outside to play in the snow. Keith himself builds snow people with his friends, slides down on the small hills, and they spend hours throwing snowballs and chasing each other around laughing, until they return inside soaked to the bone with melting snow and sweat.

The winters in Altea are so different from the cold and hunger Keith remembers from Marmora. There is nothing that resembles the weary sadness and constant waiting for spring to arrive. Only now he can appreciate that there is a beauty of its own kind in winter, with the quiet it sets upon the world, making it all glimmer. And there are things about it that can be fun, too. Knowing he’ll still get to eat every day and bathe when he needs to, and sleep with hot water bottles and warm covers helps him enjoy the season for the first time in his life with his friends.

The 12 th month of the year has barely started, when over breakfast, Allura turns to him. “What are you planning to do for the Celebration of Life, Keith?”

The question causes Keith to blink. Quick memories of the only day he knew he’d go to bed with a full stomach during winter enter his mind. Fires burned all day and all night in the mess hall, everyone gathered together and there was music and dancing and stories. It was his favorite day of the year, a time of togetherness and hope, knowing that after that, the days would slowly start to become longer, and the people of Marmora could start looking forward to spring again. A new year would be about to start, and new beginnings were to follow. Acxa would lead him in dance most of the time, but the adults and elders would also take him into their arms or to stand on top of their feet to move with the cheerful notes of the music until his whole body ached and someone would eventually carry him to bed.

But no one had mentioned whether they celebrate the occasion here on Altea, or how. And he has no idea how to answer his friend’s question now.

“I don’t know,” he says softly, looking down at his plate with slight embarrassment. “Won’t we have lessons?”

“On the holiest day of the year?” Lotor asks, popping a piece of clementine into his mouth. “Hardly.”

“We have a break around the Celebration,” Allura explains. “A few movements off from lessons to spend with our families. Most students go home for that time.”

Keith bites his lip, taking a sip of his mug of hot cocoa just to have something to do as he mulls over what he wants to say. The journey to get him to Altea took months. There is no way he can get home in time to return by the time the lessons start again, let alone home and back. He’d probably only get halfway there, if that. Not to mention that it would be an additional expense he can’t ask Coran to provide for him, not to mention the fact he can’t go on alone and it would be far too much to ask Coran to come with him. He can’t put him through that ordeal just based on his childish whims and desires.

“I don’t know what I will do,” he says softly, lowering his mug. “I should probably write to Coran and ask him.”

Allura blinks her big blue eyes at him. “Won’t you travel home?”

“I think Marmora is too far for that, Allura,” Lotor says, though not unkindly. “I almost wish Daibazaal was, as well. The journey is harsh enough, and I am not exactly eager for it, or to return home.”

Keith lowers his head, biting his lip, as if to hide himself from any thoughts or words he might have on Lotor’s home country. The two of them still haven’t really talked about how Lotor feels about Keith’s home in relation to Lotor’s. There hasn’t really been a good chance to bring it up, and every time Keith had wanted to, the words had stuck in his throat and his body had started to shake with cold sweats. Lotor is his friend. Keith doesn’t want to think badly of him or lose him, or Allura, who would surely follow him. They’ve known each other longer, and shared things Keith doesn’t know about. Not to mention how sometimes they seem to communicate silently over his head, even if he tries not to notice.

Still, it hurts knowing that between himself and Lotor, Allura surely wouldn’t choose Keith. And despite everything, Keith has found out he’s not eager to rush into finding out if he has to lose his friends through Lotor’s opinions on Marmora. So for now, he’s content with keeping his mouth shut about that, just like about everything that relates to his life before he met him and Allura.

“I wish you could stay, too,” Allura sighs to Lotor. “But I suppose your parents expect you home.”

“I mustn’t spend all my time away from Daibazaal,” Lotor says, though his voice comes out strained. “Although I may wish to.”

Allura gives him a soft, sympathetic smile, covering his hand with her own in a show of comfort, before turning to Keith with soft, sad eyes. “I’m sorry I brought this up, Keith. I wasn’t thinking.”

Keith gives her a small smile. “It’s alright.”

Allura’s expression brightens, breaking into a big, happy smile that makes her eyes sparkle. “I know!” she chirps. “Ask Coran to bring you to feast with us during the Celebration! My parents host one every year. It can be like your debut to court life! I know it might sound a little tedious and formal, but the food is always really good, and Father doesn’t expect me to play my part all night, so we can enjoy ourselves, too. You can stay the night too, and we can all have a sleepover in my room!”

Lotor joins Allura’s smile with a softer, encouraging one. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Does it, Keith?”

Keith’s insides flood with warm affection, and he finds himself responding to the smiles of his friends. “I’ve love to come, so long as Coran agrees to it. Thank you.”

“I’m sure he’ll be happy to bring you,” Lotor says. “I only wish I could be there too.”

“There will be other chances,” Allura vows to him, stroking his hand with her thumb.

“I’ll write to Coran today,” Keith promises.

…

_ Dear Keith, _

_ I shall be coming to pick you up from school on the 19 _ _ th _ _. We can spend the first few nights at my house, before the night of the feast. Remember to pack the dress I got for your birthday. You will be needing it for the occasion. _

_ I look forward to seeing you and hearing more about your semester. Until then, remember to stay warm and listen to your teachers until the arrival of the break. _

_ Yours sincerely, _

_ Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe _

…

It is during the last lesson of the year in Practical Seeing, that the first vision comes and it shakes Keith to the core.

He’s reaching out with his mind, with his power core as usual, trying to focus on a train of thought, on something he can See, can discover. As if by accident, his thoughts brush on Marmora, on the cold and the winter. On the upcoming Celebration, but also on the constant memory of hunger that made him feel so hollow that he couldn’t even bring himself to move. He doesn’t even think of a question, or consciously wish to know anything. And suddenly, vivid images begin rushing across his eyes, making his body shake and his head hurt.

Another winter. Vrek is at the food reserves. They’re empty. Regris goes to dig for more on another occasion, but there is nothing but a few dead rats. He ends up devouring them raw, as if unable to control himself. Acxa, looking weary and skinny, the blueness of her hollow cheeks once again almost icicle pale. Lying in bed, unable to move, much the same way Keith must’ve done roughly a year before. But she has no one to sit beside her, as her breaths come out shallow and short, labored, until she closes her eyes…

Keith opens his own eyes wide, gasping in a long suck of air, revealing that he is still in the classroom. The other students are firmly focused on their own visions and reaching for their powers as Keith tries to get his breathing under control and calm his erratic heart rate.

“Mx. Kogane?” Miss Hira speaks. “Did you See something?”

Keith swallows. He knows there will be more taunting for him if he denies he did. But even with the other students seemingly not paying attention to him, there’s no way he’s going to risk any of them hearing what he Saw. That vision was personal. He’s not about to drag the poor state of his home and his people out for all the world, including Miss Hira, to hear, only further proving to them that he’s not one of them. Better they think it’s because his Seeing is weak than finding more places where they can pinch him.

“No, Miss,” he says. “I thought I did, but…”

Miss Hira gives him a self-satisfied, cold smile. “Of course you didn’t. I’ve told you, you lack focus. I don’t know how they let you in here…”

Keith blocks the rest of her words out, trying to think. Kolivan had said that Marmora couldn’t handle another winter like the last one. Here in Altea, Keith has been able to let himself forget what it is like back home during wintertime, what his people might be going through this very moment. He can’t be sure of how much time he has before what has happened in his vision takes place, but he has to try to do  _ something _ while there’s even a small chance he can help. What was the point of coming to Altea if he can’t even do that? If all his people all die from hunger and cold before he has a chance to make any kind of a difference for any one of them?

No. He can’t let that happen. But he also doesn’t know what he can do. He can’t ask for charity from his friends or Coran; they’re not in his life for that. He can’t use them as banks, or depend on Coran more than he already does. He won’t be that kind of a friend or burden. He doesn’t have any money of his own though…

But he does have possessions, now, doesn’t he. The dresses Coran has given him, the books Allura and Lotor have given him. If he found a moneylender when Coran comes to bring him back to Oriande, he could…

The idea makes his heart twinge. He’s never owned much for himself, and most of what he did were hand-me-downs from Acxa or someone else from the Isle. Now he has his own clothes that are custom-made to fit him, he has things he loves that are his own. Because of his studies, the horses and the time he’s been spending with his friends, he hasn’t even been able to finish all the books he got for his birthday yet. The idea of letting go of them hurts, not least because they were given to him by people he’s come to love in his new life. They were given to him because they care for him, to make him happy.

But to keep them, items of luxury that only speak of how much easier his life is now, when his family is starving would be the peak of selfishness. He can’t think like this, and he can’t let them die just because he didn’t want to give up mere commodities.

That’s why, before Coran comes to pick him up, Keith packs everything he thinks he can let go of, everything he doesn’t necessarily need into his suitcase. He’s decided to keep a few simpler dresses so he’ll still have clothing and Coran won’t wonder why he’s constantly in his school uniform. He can’t give up the uniform or anything he needs for school, but all the additional dresses and books and trinkets he puts aside to give up.

Still, he can’t help but pause when he’s about to pack the book of fairy tales Coran gave him before he left his house for school. It’s from Coran’s personal collection rather than a new one from a store and the first present he’s received in Altea. It feels wrong to give it up like this. But Keith shakes his head, forcing himself to put it in with the other things. It is still just an object, a frivolous luxury. One he can’t afford to hold onto.

As is the beautiful sparking gown Coran got for him. Although Keith knows he was supposed to wear it for the feast at Allura’s home, he knows he can’t hold onto it most of all. It is beautiful, but it’s impractical, and he’s not going to need it that often. And it’s fine enough that he’s sure it’ll give him a fair amount of money.

The idea of going to the fine house of Allura’s Lord Father and Lady Mother only in his school uniform – his next best dress – heats him up from the inside with embarrassment. But he swears he’ll bear it. He has to. A lady isn’t made by their dress or shoes, but the grace of their character, as Miss Welma who teaches etiquette tends to say. And now, Keith has to believe that is really true. This is a test of his strength as a lady.

He’s not going to fail it. Just like he’s not going to fail his people.

As promised, Coran comes to pick him up on the 19 th . On the 20 th , as they’re having breakfast together, Keith asks for permission to go into the city to buy presents for everyone for the Celebration of Life.

Coran raises an eyebrow at him. “I don’t know, Keith,” he says. “Oriande may be as safe as can be, but you’re still a small child, and I am responsible for you. Can I not accompany you? You really shouldn’t go out alone.”

“But I want everything to be a surprise,” Keith insists, hoping he comes off as convincing. “And if you send me with the driver, I’ll be fine, won’t I?”

Coran lets out a breath, his facial hair ruffling with the air, before he picks up his teacup and takes a short sip. Keith’s heart pounds in his ears as he waits for Coran to set it back down, and watches him look over at him again. He knows Coran can’t know what he’s about to do or he’d never allow it. But he just can’t accept any more of Coran’s help. Enough is enough. This is something he must do for himself.

“Very well,” Coran says slowly. “I’ll hand you some money to buy something as presents. But don’t stay out too long, alright?”

Keith gives him the brightest smile he can muster. “Thank you!”

Thankfully, Coran’s driver doesn’t ask many questions when Keith sneaks into the automobile with a bag of things to pawn, nor when he asks him to take him to the moneylender.

Keith doesn’t know much about money, but he thinks he gets a decent price on all his clothes and books. The moneylender thankfully doesn’t ask too many questions either, simply paying him in cash. Knowing he’ll actually need to have presents for his friends and Coran to throw him off his trail, Keith spends the next few hours buying things for his friends. It is honestly fun, being able to think what they might like and being able to somewhat pay back for all their kindness. He gets Allura a new pair of earrings with deep blue sparkling jewels, Lotor a book of sea adventure tales with beautiful painted pictures, and Coran a new pair of gloves and a small brush for his facial hair along with some shaping wax.

By the time he gets back to Coran’s home, Keith has almost forgotten his sadness over his own lost things over the thought of how happy his new loved ones will be with their gifts. And how relieved his family will be to receive the additional money from him. He writes a quick letter to do with the money, seals it and hands it to Coran to send forward.

He prays for a swift flight for Coran’s carrier bird that night.

…

_ Dear family, _

_ Happy Celebration of Life. I hope this money helps you better survive through the winter. I will keep working hard in the new year as well. _

_ Your loving son and brother, _

_ Keith _


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I was late posting last time, you get this chapter within the old schedule :). Next time, we'll hopefully move back to updating once every two weeks. Thank you for all your support as always ❤️.

As the break continues, Keith welcomes the time he gets to spend at Coran’s house again. He’s grateful for the long hot and private baths he gets to take to warm up, the cheerful fires burning in every room, and most of all the chance to spend time in Coran’s library again. His time passes much the same as during the summer. He spends his days reading, although this time he stays indoors because of the cold, and eating meals with Coran as Keith tells him about his life at school in more detail than he’s been able to put into his letters. Coran occasionally comes into the library or Keith’s room, wherever he might be at the time, to bring him sandwiches or a hot drink for a snack, and to see him every night to make sure Keith goes to bed at a reasonable hour. Otherwise, as before, he leaves Keith to his own devices most of the time.

It is nice enough, and Keith is grateful for the time he can spend resting. But he also can’t help but be filled with homesickness and loneliness. The big house feels emptier than ever after months of people always walking by and chattering around him at the Institute. Although Keith himself wasn’t always a part of those conversations, he now realizes that having people around him made him feel less alone. Especially when he had his friends with him.

Being alone at Coran’s house only serves to remind Keith of everyone who can’t be present in his life while he is here. He hasn’t received a letter from home since his birthday. He hopes his family might send him one over the break for the Celebration of Life, if only to let him know if the money he sent them made it to Marmora safely. Just a few words about how things are going back home, that’s all he needs. All he asks for.

It is especially painful because this is the time of the year that is meant to be spent with family, and the occasion makes Keith miss his own more than he ever thought he would. Being away at school has kept him busy enough that he hasn’t had as much time to think about Marmora, but being back at Coran’s house without much to do has brought it all back to him. He cries himself to sleep most nights, his heart aching with longing to be home.

He’s glad when the actual day of the Celebration arrives, because it gives him a proper distraction from his sorrows. The knowledge he’ll get to be with Allura cheers him up a little. At least Keith can be with a friend if he can’t be with family. He hopes that the party might also drive away some of the loneliness.

Keith and Coran eat a light lunch during the day, after which Keith takes another long bath with scented oils and soaps to wash away any possible remnants of his “poor” smell. He does his hair as well as he can manage, grateful for the practice he’s been getting with Allura’s hair. He finishes the look off by decorating his hair with a ribbon. Finally, he slips into his school uniform, washed and ironed for the day. It still makes him flush with shame to not have anything better to wear for a formal feast, but it’s the best he can manage under the circumstances. He tries to remind himself that he can’t be selfish, and also how kind Allura is. There is no way her parents can be cruel if they brought up a wonderful girl like her. And even if there might be other guests, Allura and her parents’ are the only opinions he really cares about.

Keith puts on his coat over his uniform and heads downstairs in it, not wanting Coran to see what he’s wearing and ask about it before it’s too late for them to change anything. Coran helps him to the automobile and to climb inside it as usual, and Keith eagerly watches the city pass by from the window. He wonders which one of the lights twinkling in the houses in the dark belongs to Allura’s family. She’s a young lady, so any of the houses in Coran’s neighborhood could belong to her.

Keith’s kept her clear wealth and status mostly out of his mind for the semester, but he knows he has to face them now. His stomach turns a little with nerves, but he keeps reminding himself that she’s still the same Allura who offered him friendship from the moment they first met. He can’t let whatever he might experience and see tonight affect their friendship the same way Allura didn’t let his birth date or Guardians affect it. What they have is stronger than that. He has to believe that.

The houses keep getting bigger and grander the further into the center of Oriande the automobile drives. Allura must be even more well off than Keith ever thought. Keith can hear his heart pounding in his ears alongside the rolling of the wheels beneath him on the street. He puts his hands between his knees as they begin to tremble and he breaks out in a cold sweat.

His stomach turns so much he’s afraid he’s going to be sick on the automobile floor when they drive towards the open gates to what has to be the biggest building in the entire city. It can’t even be called a mansion – it’s a castle. As Coran’s automobile reaches the open gates, and they stop so Coran can talk to the guards, Keith also draws the window on his side open. He leans out of the open frame to peer at the castle’s tall, gleaming white towers looming above them, beyond the enormous courtyard waiting behind the gates. There are even more automobiles and horse-drawn carriages gathered in the courtyard and around the gates than there were on the first day of school, their lights twinkling like stars in the twilight darkness gathering, the rays of the setting sun mostly blocked by the looming towers.

As Keith’s breaths start to come sharp and quick from nerves and his ears pick up the last of Coran’s introductory words to the guards, “…Smythe, Advisor to His Grace, King Alfor of Altea.”

Keith’s eyes burn. He feels frozen still in his seat. He can’t breathe. Can barely think.

Coran is a royal advisor. And if this really Allura’s home, that means…and Keith has nothing better on than his school uniform beneath his coat. He’s going to embarrass Allura and Coran and himself in front of the King and Queen. Allura’s parents. The entire Kingdom of Altea. He’s going to let his family down, Allura down, Coran down. Everyone who thought to believe him. Who was he kidding, coming here?

He’ll never be a lady, just like all those people at school say. Just like Miss Hira says. All he’ll ever be is a poor nobody.

He wants to beg Coran to turn back, to try and explain what is going on, but his mouth, throat and lips refuse to move, as if frozen shut. All he can do is sit still as he and Coran drive through the gates, closer and closer towards Keith’s doom. Past all the carriages and automobiles. Past the people each dressed nicer than the next, their jewels and clothes sparkling in the soft lights of the castle and the remaining sun, their hair done up well and neatly.

“Keith?” Coran’s voice makes him jump in surprise as he turns towards the man. “Is something wrong? You smell tense.”

“I-I…” Keith stammers, trying to gather himself. He swallows hard and licks his lips to moisten them. But the words refuse to come out.

“Are you nervous?” Coran asks gently.

Unable to find his words, Keith can only swallow and nod his head, his eyes falling down onto his knees.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be alright,” Coran says, giving Keith’s head a soft pat. “You can mostly just be with Allura. But I do think today will be a good way for you to have a bit of a trial run of the world you’re about to enter, without there being so much pressure.”

When Keith still doesn’t respond, Coran continues, “Would you like to know a secret?”

Keith looks up at him, giving him another nod, for the lack of anything better to do.

“This is all just a huge play of pretend,” Coran says with a smile that is somehow both sad and playful at the same time. “Everyone here tonight and in every other party like this are just playing. These people are only acting to be as important as they are, all the rest of it is just an illusion. So simply play along with them, act as though you belong here, and you’ll do fine.”

Keith licks his lips. That seems strange to him, and more than a little pointless, but…it does make him feel a little better. Knowing that none of these people are as grand as they appear to be. That all that really matters is looking the part, not letting that façade slip no matter what.

Although it also makes him even more nervous, because there’s no way he’s going to look the part.

“What if they notice, though?” Keith manages to squeak.

“Then you simply must act like you don’t notice they do,” Coran says. “The people here think and talk about all kinds of things; about everyone and everything around them, even those they deem belonging into their social sphere. The only thing to do when you’re the focus of all that judgement is to pretend as if you don’t realize it or better yet, don’t care. That way, even if they don’t respect you, they at least know they cannot break you.”

Keith swallows. That’s not really the kind of world he’s sure he wants to be a part of. He knew there were a lot of rules that came with being a part of the higher class, but he never thought it required so much pretense and acting. Is there anything in this world that is genuine? Can anyone really be trusted? If there are, how can he know who to trust? Even Allura didn’t tell him who she really was. How can Keith want to be a part of a world where he can’t even trust those he loves? A part of a world that is so different from Marmora, where everyone is so straightforward and nothing is this complicated?

What kind of life is this, even, if it’s solely based on lies and pretense?

Hurt and anger scorch Keith more than shame by the time Coran’s automobile stops in front of the main doors to the castle, and Coran helps him down and starts leading him inside by the hand. The castle’s surface seems to almost shine even in twilight. Keith looks at it as far as he can manage, just to make sure he keeps his head up high. He’s not going to show weakness or shame, not in front of these people. No matter what, at least Keith can say he’s lived a life where he’s honest to and about who he is. He’s not going to let these people look down on him simply because of the circumstances of his birth.

Coran leads him through the front doors into a grand entrance hall that looks almost like its ceiling could touch the skies. There are a few people around either chatting or walking forward, but Keith is quick to spot Allura up ahead by the staircase along with a tall, handsome Altean couple who can only be her parents, greeting their guests as they enter.

Keith swallows, both from nervousness and from anger. The King and the Queen, in all their regal glory and royal jewels. And Princess Allura, equally so. And she let him walk into this trap without so much as a word of warning.

But he’s a lady. He’s not going to make a scene here, in front of all these people. He’s going to be stronger than that.

“Keith!” he hears Allura’s voice call and sees her start to rush over to him. Her eyes sparkle and the ribbons and jewels in her white hair twirl as she runs. She’s dressed fit for a princess in a white shimmering gown with an overlayer of soft blue gemstones sown in that must’ve cost more than the people of Marmora spend on food in one year. Today, she also has the mark of a Princess, in the form of the golden circlet resting on her forehead, decorated with a glimmering teal jewel.

“Your royal highness,” Keith says, doing his best curtsy for Allura, at the same time avoiding looking further at her. He sees Coran step further ahead to greet her parents from the corner of his eye.

“Keith, please don’t do that,” Allura says, pulling his hands from his sides and taking them into her own. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Keith can’t help the snort that escapes him, and he narrows his eyes at her. “Are we?”

Allura’s mouth turns down, and her dark complexion turns slightly ashy. “…You’re angry. Why are you angry?”

“You didn’t tell me who you were,” Keith hisses, keeping his voice down so the others in the room won’t have a change to start eavesdropping. He pulls his hands away from her hold, rather forcibly. “You just let me walk in here, unknowing. Did you just want to humiliate me?”

“Keith, no, that’s not…!” Allura cries, her eyes tearing up, her lower lip starting to tremble. “Didn’t you read the book?”

Keith blinks, then narrows his eyes. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“The book I got for your birthday? You know,  _ Modern History of the Royal Families _ ?” Keith blinks at her. “I chose it for you specifically so you could find out who I am.”

Keith blinks again. He averts his eyes. “…I didn’t get around to it yet.”

“…Oh,” Allura breathes. Her cheeks flush, and she turns her gaze down at her feet, embarrassed. “I…I didn’t know.”

“Didn’t you wonder why I didn’t bring it up?” Keith crosses his arms. But despite himself, he can’t make his voice come out as sharp as before. He’s unable to hold onto anger in front of his friend like this. Now all that remains is the hurt.

“I just thought…” Allura shakes her head. “I guess it doesn’t matter. I should’ve asked you about it. I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me yourself in the first place?” Keith asks, his voice now soft with hurt.

“I told you on the first day we met,” Allura says. “Everyone I meet only wants to be friends with me because they want something from me. Because I’m the Princess. And they put distance between us for that reason as well. And I didn’t want that with you, at least not to start with, if we were going to be friends. So I wanted to wait a while to tell you, so you would just treat me like any other student as we got to know each other. I had hoped, when you eventually found out, that it would no longer matter who I was.”

She gives a short shrug, still looking defeated and sad. “Perhaps I was wrong to do what I did. I’m sorry I hurt you. I just…” She sighs, her eyes tearing up again. “I just wanted another real friend so badly.”

Keith swallows, searching her face for any possible notion of lie or more secrets. But looking at her, all he can see is his friend, who is sorry. His friend, who has given him so much. And he has to admit that Allura is right. He probably wouldn’t have dared to be friends with her if he’d known who she was from the start. Perhaps he would’ve even tried to use her in order to help his cause for Marmora, instead of really getting to know her. He can’t know what would’ve happened. All he knows what has happened, and how he feels now.

He reaches back for her hands, holding them in his own. “I forgive you,” he says. “But let’s not keep any more secrets from each other.”

“Never!” Allura swears, a few tears slipping onto her cheeks before she jumps to wrap her arms around him. “I swear. No more secrets, and no more lies. Ever.”

Keith holds her back, finding himself smiling into her hair. “I vow the same.”

“Allura,” a deep voice speaks up, gathering Keith’s attention. He looks up to the eyes of King Alfor, Allura’s father, in all his royal glory. He finds himself standing up a little straighter for the attention. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?”

Allura lets go of Keith, taking his hand instead, as she smiles up at her father. “Lord Father, Lady Mother, this is Keith of Marmora, my friend at the Institute and Coran’s ward.”

Keith curtsies again with one hand. “Your Grace.”

“What a charming child,” Allura’s mother says, smiling down at him, and Keith can’t help but think Allura will probably look exactly like her when she grows up.

“Be very welcome to our home, and please enjoy the feast,” King Alfor says. “I know these sorts of things can be taxing on a small child like yourself, but don’t fret yourself. I am sure my daughter will be happy to make you feel right at home, even if Prince Lotor cannot be here to help her with that.”

Keith feels so hit over the head by all these new revelations that he can’t even bite his tongue before he blurts out, “Lotor is a  _ Prince _ ?”

Allura blinks at him. “Why do you think he’s the only one who acts like we’re equals?”

Keith tries to catch his breath. “And…he’s the Prince of Daibazaal?”

The son of the Emperor. The one who keeps his people imprisoned on their Isle, keeps them living the way they do.

“Yes,” Allura says. “Although his Lady Mother is Altean.”

“I knew Empress Honerva well in her youth,” King Alfor says. “A most inquisitive mind, and a good friend of mine. Although naturally I haven’t seen her nearly so often since her wedding, I can see much of her in her son.”

Keith swallows. He tries to take comfort in that. At least for now. This is not the time or the place to confront everything he feels about Lotor, when he’s not even here to defend himself.

But he also knows he won’t be able to put off confronting him much longer.

“Come on, now, Keith. Take off your coat and let’s go get something to eat,” Allura cuts in, grabbing onto the lapels of Keith’s outerwear. “I want to finally see how you look in that dress Coran got you!”

All thoughts of Lotor quickly bleed out of Keith’s mind, and he clasps his hands over his torso to keep Allura from opening the coat. “N-no…stop. I can’t show you.”

Allura blinks at him. “Why not?”

“Didn’t the dress turn out well?” Coran asks.

“It was beautiful, Coran,” Keith murmurs, lowering his head. He swallows a few times, but it does nothing to help his dry throat, or the burning in his eyes. He just promised Allura he wouldn’t lie. And he can’t do that to Coran either. Coran deserves better than that from him, now that he can no longer keep his secret. “I just…I don’t have it anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” Coran gasps. “What happened to your dress?”

Keith allows his knees to buckle underneath the pressure, falling down on the ground to beg for forgiveness. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know we’d be coming to see you, Your Graces, I…”

“Keith,” Coran’s voice speaks, and Keith sees him crouch beside him. “You’re not in trouble, I promise. I just want to know what happened. So, won’t you tell me, and maybe I can help.”

Keith feels a few tears roll down his cheeks, and he swallows again to try and steady himself. “I…I pawned the dress. And a few other things I had that were of value.”

“What?” Allura breathes. “Why would you do that?”

“It’s winter,” Keith says, his voice coming out hoarse and bitter. “K-Kolivan, he said…he said Marmora couldn’t last another winter like the last one. And I…I Saw what would happen if they didn’t get any money. Everyone, my family, is starving. So I…I…”

“So you sent your family the money,” King Alfor of all people cuts in, before surprising Keith even more by crouching down to Keith’s level along with Coran, meeting Keith’s eyes straight-on. “How old are you, child?”

“S-six, Your Grace,” Keith stammers, feeling his ears burn at the sudden attention. He forces himself to meet the King’s eyes, the exact same color as Allura’s.

“And already you would pawn off your only fine dress and the few things you had just so your family could eat?” he asks. Keith doesn’t think he sounds angry, but the man’s expression is so neutral it is difficult to say what he feels.

Still, there is nothing for Keith to do but nod.

And suddenly, Allura’s father is smiling at him. “A lot of people could learn from you, Keith.” He offers a hand in his direction. “Stand up. There’s nothing for you to be ashamed of or apologize for. In fact, you should be proud. It is a rare occasion I get to meet such an honest and selfless young lady.”

_ Lady _ . From the mouth of the King of Altea himself. It’s more than enough to give Keitht the courage to accept the King’s hand and allow him to pull him back to his feet.

Once standing straight once more, Keith turns to face Coran, quickly wiping his cheeks. “I’m sorry I gave the dress away. It really was beautiful. But I couldn’t keep it knowing it could save my people and my family.”

“I understand, and I am not angry,” Coran says, putting his arm around Keith’s shoulders with a warm smile soft with sadness. “I just wish you had come to me about it straight away. We could’ve worked something out before now. In fact, I’m sorry I didn’t bring the matter up before myself. I should’ve known better.”

“I didn’t want to cause you trouble. I’m a burden enough as it is,” Keith murmurs.

“No, Keith, never say that,” Coran says, pulling him closer into a soft half-hug. “You’re my ward. My child so long as you remain here, really. It is my job to look out for you, whatever that might mean. If it means I help your family financially as much as I can besides supporting you, then that’s what I’ll do. You just have to talk to me about it, because I can’t read your mind.”

Despite himself, Keith can feel a few more tears slip out from his eyes, and he buries his face into Coran’s stomach, wrapping his arms around his waist. “…Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“You can talk more about this over the break, I believe,” Allura’s father cuts in. “For now, why don’t you take Keith to your rooms, Allura? You can let him borrow one of your older dresses for the occasion I’m sure.”

As Keith pulls away from Coran, he sees Allura smiling at him. “Of course, Father. Follow me, Keith!”

Keith lets her drag him away through the castle, barely having time to take it all in, with all its grand tall hallways and lights set into the walls, before they walk up a staircase to the Chambers of the Crown Princess. And if Keith thought his rooms at Coran’s house were incredible, Allura’s are near decadent in their grandeur. They more resemble an apartment within the castle, with their own sitting room, bedroom and playroom, all decorated with beautiful, colorful and comfortable furniture.

Allura’s closet, located within her bedroom, could in itself fit Keith’s room at Coran’s house inside it. The thought makes Keith dizzy enough that he can’t find it in himself to offer much input as Allura picks out dresses for him and makes him try them on. He doesn’t really mind being her doll, honestly, since he doesn’t think he’d be very good at picking something that looks nice. But with her throwing clothes at him and playing dress-up for her, Keith actually quickly finds himself having fun, testing different looks and outfits for her, especially since the fabrics are so soft and smooth and the dresses so pretty.

Eventually, they settle on a dress in a deep red color with some three-dimensional flowers sewn in to decorate the waistline. Allura even gives Keith a necklace and a red-and-pink hair piece to wear to finish the look.

“Hmm,” she muses, giving Keith a once-over with narrowed eyes. “It’s too bad your ears aren’t pierced. You should talk to Coran about that. A lady needs to be able to wear jewels in their ears.”

Keith gives her a bashful smile and shrug. “Sure, I guess.”

“Otherwise, you look absolutely wonderful,” Allura says with a proud, happy smile. “Red is really your color. You should always wear it, it really goes well with your dark hair. Though I guess violet does bring out your eyes…”

Keith smiles to himself, letting her keep rambling as they make their way back to the feast.

…

_ Dear Keith, _

_ Happy Celebration of Life. We all thank you for the money you sent us, although we wonder how you got it. It is helping us survive through this difficult winter. We toasted in your honor during our Celebration feast. You might have saved some lives among us with your good deed. We cannot thank you enough. You have always been such a thoughtful child. _

_ Keep doing your best in the new year as well. We shall do the same. _

_ With all our love, _

_ Your family _

…

The night of the Celebration at the castle is fun, even though it  _ is  _ much more formal than what Keith is used to. Allura sticks by his side, introducing him to people they meet and dancing with him. They eat dinner side-by-side at the table and Allura shows him around the ballroom. Towards the end of the night, they gather up some food into napkins and head off to Allura’s chambers. They talk and snack well into the night until they can barely keep their eyes open and climb to sleep in Allura’s huge bed together.

Keith and Coran end up staying at the castle for a few more days at Allura’s insistence. Keith doesn’t mind, although it is painful for the same reason he is content to stay. Knowing he’ll soon probably have to let go of his friend, who will surely follow Lotor in their inevitable disagreement, hurts. But Keith also wants to savor their time together as much as he can, and enjoy it for as long as he can. He and Allura play hide-and-seek in one wing of the castle at a time, leading to Keith learning his way around very fast. Allura allows him to borrow one of the royal horses so they can take a light riding stroll around the castle grounds. They do what little homework they’ve been given for the break in the warmth and comfort of Allura’s rooms, helping each other where they can, and practice their sword skills together. They keep sleeping in the same bed, speaking in low tones about their lives until they fall asleep.

Now that they’ve promised not to keep secrets, Keith tells Allura more about his past on Marmora, about the misery and the hunger. He leaves out the parts that have to do with Daibazaal’s rule and Lotor. He doesn’t feel the need to highlight them right now, when there is nothing he and Allura can do about it. It will all come to head soon enough in any case, and Keith would rather hold off until he has to talk about it. He knows he’s letting Allura down by not being straight with her about it, but he can’t bring himself to open his mouth, no matter how much it eats at him.

When Keith tells Allura about how and what he first Saw, she leans in and pulls him into a hug beneath the covers. He wraps his arms around her in return.

“I didn’t know your life was so difficult,” she murmurs into his hair. “I’m so sorry.”

Keith swallows. He can’t exactly tell her it’s alright, but… “I’m here to change that,” he says softly. “I want to make things better for my people.”

Allura pulls back from their embrace so she can meet his gaze straight on. “That’s what I want to do as well, when I am Queen,” she says, her eyes determined in the dark. “Father is a fine King, I know. But I have only lived closer to my people at the Institute for less than two years, and I already have many things I wish to change, when I can.” She reaches for his hand, squeezing it. “And I’ll help you and your people, too. I promise you, things will become better.”

Keith squeezes her hand back, feeling as though he’s doing the same to his own heart. “You’ll be a wonderful Queen. You already take things so seriously. You care so much.”

“You have your duty, and I have mine,” Allura says warmly, smiling at him. “I am just happy I have you and Lotor as my real, true friends. As time passes, I am going to need more and more people who tell me the truth, instead of just what I want to hear. I’ll need that to grow into the best Queen I can be, when the time comes. As long as I can have that, I think I can handle anything.”

Keith swallows again, guilt burning like a heavy lump in the pit of his stomach, trying to burst out. He forces himself to say, “I feel the same. You and Lotor…have made everything so much better for me here. So much easier. I still miss my family, but when I’m with you…I don’t feel so alone.”

“You’re not alone, Keith,” Allura says, squeezing his hand again. “I promise, we’ll always be friends. I’ll stand by you if you stand by me.”

“I will,” Keith whispers, his heart aching. He knows he’ll keep that promise, even when he loses his friends. He’ll cherish them for the rest of his life, no matter what.

…

_ Dear Allura, _

_ Today is the third day I have been locked in my room. No one comes in or out. They do not feed me. _

_ My Lord Father is displeased with me. He says I cannot be friends with someone from Marmora. They are traitors and criminals, and if I keep such company, it will reflect poorly on our entire family. I hate it, but the longer I am trapped in here, the more I find myself agreeing with him. _

_ I do not know what to do. I wish you were here to help me. I wish Keith was here to show me how wrong my Lord Father is. I do not know when I will be let out. Will I be let out? Will they prevent me from returning to the Institute? If I do not swear I will not be friends with Keith, will I be left here until I die? _

_ Nine save me. Please help me. I cannot bear this. I do not want to be here. _

_ You are the only one who knows. And yet you will never receive this letter. _

_ I hope you are doing better than I am. _

_ Your friend, _

_ Lotor _

…

When Keith and Coran return to Coran’s home, Keith mostly spends the rest of the beak in the library. The only time he really leaves the house is when he and Coran go back to the pawnshop to get Keith’s things back; they’re thankfully still there and Coran buys them back for Keith for less than they were originally bought for. Afterwards, they figure out a plan to send money to Marmora, Coran and Keith agreeing to a monthly sum that won’t put too much strain on Coran’s living standards but will help the people of Marmora along quite well.

Keith begins reading  _ Modern History of the Royal Families _ , not wanting to be blindsided again by what he doesn’t know about the royal families. But he supposes the task of reading it also serves as a type of punishment. He doesn’t let himself forget what awaits him when school starts up again. He can’t afford to. He can’t be selfish.

He finds short notes on Allura and Lotor in the tome, the young heirs of their respective lord fathers, King Alfor and Emperor Zarkon. Zarkon of Daibazaal himself is the grandson of the Emperor who banished his people to Marmora. Keith is surprised to learn he and Alfor were friends in their youth, which was partially what led to Zarkon marrying his Empress, Honerva, who nowadays is rarely seen in public, since her son’s birth. There are rumors about whether or not she’s even alive, gossip and speculation saying she died at childbirth. With their children being born, the two ruling men had also drifted apart, claiming political differences became too great to ignore in their friendship, though the book doesn’t further elaborate on what those might be, exactly.

He eventually moves forward from Altea and Daibazaal to Atlas and Olkarion. Atlas is ruled by the Shirogane family, the descendants of the legendary King Masashi Shirogane, who unified the nine smaller kingdoms into one. The current King is called Noriaki, and his Queen Rina is from another lower branch of the Shirogane family; a distant cousin. He married her as opposed to a foreign Princess or the child of one of the Head Nobles of the Eight Territories, helping him govern the areas of eight of the nine old kingdoms, because her father had claimed he had as much if not more of a right to the crown as Noriaki through the very complicated matters of the family tree. To settle the dispute, Noriaki married his daughter, making the man’s grandsons still inherit the kingdom. Queen Rina gave birth to twin boys, Crown Prince Ryou and Prince Takashi, some years before Keith’s own birth. They have yet to have other children.

Olkarion ousted their King Lubos roughly twenty years ago, moving on from a monarchy to a system where they elect their leaders. The current Leader is called Ryner, who worked for Lubos before it was discovered he was using most of the tax money from his land for his own benefit rather than for his people. Ryner, even before the revolution, was popular among the people and knew her country well; most say better than Lubos himself, as she did most of the work ruling for him even then. Due to their technological advancement, Olkarion was quickly able to get back to its feet after the revolution, and has been at peace ever since, its people working together for a brighter, more equal future.

Keith smiles to himself as he reads over the chapters on Olkarion. It gives him hope that freedom like theirs is possible to gain. He and his people just have to play their cards right and wait for the right time to gain their independence.

Unfortunately, for him right now, it means no longer being friends with someone who probably doesn’t agree with that sentiment. Who probably would do everything to not let the people of Marmora be free, wanting to punish them and use them until there was no one left. Keith prepares himself for the inevitable for the rest of the break, rehearsing in his mind what he’s going to say to Lotor and to Allura when he sees them again. How he’s going to tell them he loves them, but his people must come first, and he can’t be friends with someone willingly holding them prisoner. Lotor will either have to understand what his people have been through and be willing to help as the Prince of Daibazaal, or they can’t remain friends.

But when he steps out of Coran’s automobile into the courtyard of the Institute, and sees Allura waving him over, all his words seem to disappear. He doesn’t see Lotor yet as he accepts Allura’s greeting embrace, but he knows it’s only a matter of time before he finds him, too. And then there’s no turning back. He can’t let this hang between them any longer.

As if on cue, Allura waves towards somewhere behind Keith, smiling that same wide smile she gave him upon spotting him. “Lotor! Over here!”

Swallowing, trying to steel his shoulders, Keith turns around to look for Lotor in the crowd, spotting him easily with the winter sunlight catching in his white hair. Lotor’s purple skin has taken on an ashy, pale tone, and his eyes look a bit misty before they find Allura. Seeing her makes Lotor smile and begin to lift his hand to return her greeting…but then his gaze lands on Keith. He presses his lips together and lowers his hand before turning away from them, heading inside the Institute, and leaving his friends standing cold without him.

“What is going on with him?” Allura wonders out loud. “I’m sure he saw us…”

Keith licks his cold lips. He has a feeling he knows. After all, Lotor hadn’t turned away until he seemed to spot Keith by Allura’s side. It means the time has come. Perhaps not in the way Keith would’ve liked or has planned, but nonetheless. And he can’t keep holding back. It’s better to just rise up to meet the pain, if it’s going to come anyway.

“We should go find him,” Keith says. “And ask.”

Allura nods, and they let Coran know they’re heading inside. Coran promises to take their things up to their sleeping quarters while they catch up with Lotor. The two of them rush inside, quickly finding Lotor in the first corridor. Apparently he either didn’t think they’d come after him or just didn’t bother to run or hide from them. He even stops as Allura calls his name again.

“What do you want?” he says as they reach him, his expression cold as ice, and his tone almost forcibly even.

“What do you mean?” Allura demands, hurt vibrating in her voice. “You just walked away from us. Didn’t you miss us over the break?”

“I did miss you, Allura,” Lotor says, keeping his eyes firmly on her, his voice a little softer, almost dreamy. And speaking as if Keith was mere air around him, nothing worth seeing or paying attention to.

It further confirms Keith’s suspicions, and his chest hurts. His eyes burn, but he bites his lip, not letting tears fall. He’s not going to make this any harder than it has to be. He has enough pride not to show weakness in front of the Prince of Daibazaal.

“What about Keith?” Allura asks, almost careful, clearly starting to sense something is wrong. “Didn’t you miss him too?”

Lotor doesn’t say anything. He simply avoids meeting Keith’s eyes, staring into the distance with unseeing eyes. As if he’s locked himself behind some wall that only he can see.

“You can’t be seen with me, right,” Keith says, doing his utmost to keep his voice from trembling. “Because I am of Marmora, and it wouldn’t suit the Prince.”

Lotor finally turns his head towards Keith, his eyes suddenly blazing and eyebrows pinched with anger, his cheeks flushing. “Don’t speak to me so casually, traitor bitch.”

“Lotor!” Allura cries, moving closer to Keith, her mouth a hard line. “What is wrong with you? We knew where Keith was from all this time, and you still wanted to be friends with him. How can that have changed in a few movements?”

Lotor seems to force himself calmer, though something hard remains in his eyes. “My Lord Father simply reminded me that it is not suitable for me to spend time with a traitor, a criminal. And he was right. As the Prince, such companionship would reflect poorly on our whole family, and give a horrid example to our people.”

Keith’s vision blurs. His heart feels ready to burst with pain. He thought he’d been prepared for this. And yet…

He needs to get out of here before Lotor notices he’s hurting. He won’t give him that satisfaction at the very least. “And I don’t want to be friends with someone who oppresses my people and keeps us working like slaves!”

It’s the last thing he can say, before he turns around and starts running towards the dorms, hating the way tears spill over to his cheeks. Knowing he’ll probably spend the rest of his time at the Institute completely alone makes him achee. The weight of the loneliness is almost as bad as when he was forced to leave Marmora. Leave his family.

He finds himself heading back outside through the back door, through the grounds towards the stables, treading through the snow that has gathered over the break on the fields and hills. At least the horses will keep him company. At least they won’t judge him and will comfort him as he cries, until he no longer feels like his whole world is falling to pieces.

“Keith, wait!” a breathless, bright voice calls out to him. “Stop, Keith!”

And, whether it’s out of sheer shock of hearing that voice now or something else, Keith finds himself stopping in the snow. He turns around and sees Allura struggling to get to him by stepping in his old footsteps. He waits with a pounding, confused heart until she reaches him, stopping to take a breath after her excursion.

“If you’ve come to say I am overreacting-” Keith starts.

“What?” Allura gasps. “Keith, no, I would never say that! Lotor said horrible things. I can’t believe the way he’s acting. He should know so much better, and I’m sorry you had to hear all that.”

Keith lowers his eyes to his feet, covered in snow. “I didn’t expect it to happen like this,” he says softly, feeling his eyes burning. “But I knew we’d eventually not be able to be friends anymore.”

“Keith, what are you talking about?” Allura says, sounding almost frightened, her face ashy in the cold light outside.

“I told you over the break,” Keith says, just barely keeping his tone calm. “The people, especially the royal family of Daibazaal are the reason why my people suffer the way we do. And Lotor is a part of that. I knew it would come to head sooner or later; I just thought I’d have to bring it up, not have him hold it over me.” He lowers his eyes down to his snow-covered feet. “He’s just like the rest of them. He just wants to hurt us.”

Allura reaches over and takes his hand. “I didn’t realize. I guess I didn’t want to…” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sorry.” She looks him in the eyes. “Why didn’t you talk to me about this? I thought we agreed on no more secrets.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t,” Keith says softly. “I just thought…I didn’t think you’d choose me. And I didn’t want to lose you yet, too.”

“Keith,” Allura says gently, squeezing his hands. “I meant what I said. I’ll stand by you if you stand by me.”

“I meant it too,” Keith says, his chest aching with warm affection for his friend. “But…why? You’ve known Lotor longer.”

“But he’s the one who’s wrong,” Allura says. “This is bigger than any one of us. I’m not going to side with him when his side is the one that is unfair and hurting others. I want no part in that. A good Queen should stand on the side of justice, of those who need me most. I told Lotor that as well. He has no business calling himself my friend until he sorts himself out and can prove he’s willing to correct his mistakes in a way that you accept.”

Keith manages a smile, though a few tears slip out with it, freezing on his cheeks. “Thank you.”

Allura returns his smile. “Come on, we should head back inside before Coran worries.”

Keith allows her to pull him along, heart still heavy but lighter than he thought it was going to be. At least he still has his other friend. He didn’t lose them both.

He won’t be completely alone.

…

_ Dear Coran, _

_ Thank you for taking the time to check up on us. I am doing alright. Our school days continue on, even without Lotor. Keith is trying to help me find my own artistic style, even, although I often feel like it is a waste. However, Mr. Tavo does appear to see something in the shapes I create, which never look anything like what I was aiming for. He says I “bring in the essence that cannot be seen through naked eye,” that I am “able to showcase the soul of the matter.” I still feel like he is being too kind and possibly making things up as he says them, but it is also admittedly nice to not feel like I am failing every time I pick up a brush. _

_ You do not need to thank me for standing with Keith. He is my friend. Still, as wonderful as he is, and as dear as he is growing to me, I hate to admit that, regardless, I miss Lotor’s presence. He was my first real friend, after all, and we did grow very close in the time we only had each other. He and Keith are different kinds of friends for me, I think, so one cannot replace the other. In my heart, I long to have both of them with me, and losing Lotor like this hurts. I cannot even speak to Keith about my grief because I know he feels guilty about what happened between the three of us, although it is not his fault. I cannot put more weight on his shoulders with my sorrows, when I know he, too, is saddened over what happened. _

_ Still, as much as I know his Lord Father is horrid, Emperor or not, I still cannot forgive him if he chooses to continue to be unjust. I know I was just in what I did, as you say. As future Emperor, he more than anyone should look out for those who most need it, such as Keith does for his people. He should do better than his Lord Father, as I wish to do better than my Lord Father once I am Queen. I thought that was what he wanted to do, but now I do not know anymore. I feel as though the person I thought I knew and loved is gone and has been replaced by a stranger. _

_ It hurts, feeling as though I am not even sure if I ever really knew him. Perhaps he has merely shown his real self to me now. Perhaps he was only pretending before. Or he tried to be something else, but in the end, went back to being the way he actually is. I wish I at least knew the truth of who he is, so I knew whether to grieve the person he really was or the one I thought he was. The few times he finds me alone, he tries to approach me and talk to me to apologize and make amends, it is true. However, he does not understand it is not I who needs his apologies. If he truly is sorry, Keith and his people are the ones who need his acceptance. _

_ Everything is confusing right now. I thought I was a better judge of character than this. I only hope Keith keeps his promise and will not keep more secrets from me. I do not think I could take it if he betrayed my trust as well. _

_ I hope you are doing well. Please write to me again, hearing from you makes me feel a little better about everything. Do not let Father overwork you. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Princess Allura _

…

Movements pass into the new semester and Lotor maintains his distance from Allura and Keith. Keith does his best to not let it bother him, throwing himself into his schoolwork and his friendship with Allura. The two of them are always together now whenever they can, Allura even joining Keith occasionally at the stables to care for the horses, him introducing them to her and telling her what they appreciate the most as individuals. They study together, eat together and sit with each other in the evenings in the sleeping quarters until someone forces one of them to go to sleep in their own bed.

In the mornings, they brush each other’s hair and dress it, Allura starting to teach Keith some more new styles to try out on her hair. He still prefers the simple braids on himself, but Allura knows several different types of them and helps him tell the difference so he can choose which one he likes for which day. They even bathe together sometimes, Allura showing him how to properly care for his growing locks and lending him her hair products. They keep practicing with their wooden swords together, learning from one another. Keith helps Allura with figuring out how to look into her opponent’s movements for clues of what they might do, and she helps him refine his technique.

Keith also does his best to help her with Art classes that she is not so good at. He does his best to help her find suitable color compositions for her pieces to evolve them, trying to guide her to find her own style rather than demanding that she conform into traditional forms of art. He thinks her pieces are improving and looking more pleasant, seeming to say something that is difficult to explain in words. She always gets a grateful smile on her face when he or Mr. Tavo tell her as much, so Keith figures he must be doing something right by her.

But as much as he appreciates Allura as his friend and is grateful for her support, Keith can’t help but miss Lotor’s companionship during the times Allura can’t be with him at school. It is awful, missing both Lotor and home at the same time, when the latter was bad enough on its own. Magical theory is even worse without Lotor and his assistance, although Allura does her best to help him catch up between the classes. But there is only so much she can teach him about Seeing as a Healer. And although she never says anything or complains, Keith catches Allura looking over in Lotor’s direction with saddened eyes sometimes as well. He doesn’t have the courage to bring it up in words, the guilt burning heavy like a flaming stone at the pit of his stomach. But he makes sure to give Allura an extra tight hug those days before they go their separate ways or to sleep, hoping it might make up for it somehow.

All the guilt and heavy lingering sadness and disappointment – in himself, in Lotor, in the  _ world _ – makes Keith feel so very tired and frustrated, not helped by the fact it seems his visions have stagnated for a time again. Keith’s only seen a few minor things since he returned from the break. Perhaps he just can’t focus when he tries to reach for his powers, his thoughts constantly returning to Lotor and how unfair everything is. Yet he also can’t help that he feels a little sorry for Lotor, sitting by himself all the time now. Not so much so that Keith would go and ask him to join him and Allura’s company again, to try and make amends himself. Not when Lotor clearly hasn’t realized he’s wrong yet. Keith won’t apologize for wanting better things for his people, and he’s not so desperate or weak that he’d go begging for the forgiveness of his oppressor.

One thing that makes Keith feel a little better, though, is that the days are starting to get longer and milder with slowly approaching spring. It is a bit more difficult to be outdoors now, because everything seems to get wet from the slushy snow, but Keith has always liked the sense of new beginnings that springtime brings along with it. It at least eases some of his worries about his family back home, knowing that the harshest days of winter are over for all of them. And with more sunlight in the day, he can’t help but overall feel better and like things will improve with the weather.

Those thoughts accompany Keith now as he feels the rays of the sun warming his skin through the Institute’s tall windows, as he walks down the corridor back to the common room from the library. He smiles a little, a sense of peace settling over him for the moment. He’s by himself for once, having felt the need for some time to just be alone and read at the library for a while, to gather his strength and his thoughts for a bit. Allura had respected his wishes and went to study on her own, telling him he’d find her in the common room when he felt like joining her again.

As Keith steps in through the door, he sees the common room is mostly empty. Almost everyone has probably already headed down for dinner. The lack of other voices speaking in low tones makes it easy for Keith’s ears to catch onto the two talking over the sound of fire popping. He sucks in a breath as he realizes he recognizes the voices, and freezes in his tracks. He presses himself in the wall of the doorway, listening in and hiding behind the corner, out of sight for the people talking.

“…just can’t stand this any longer, Allura,” Lotor’s voice rings in his ears, causing Keith’s heart to jump into his throat.

“Whether we’ll be friends with you again isn’t up to me,” Allura says. “It’s Keith’s decision. It is him and his people you’re hurting.”

“I didn’t really mean what I said,” Lotor insists. “I just wanted my Lord Father to be pleased…”

“I know your Lord Father is a difficult man. And I know the way he treats you,” Allura says. “But as I keep telling you, that doesn’t give you the right to treat other people badly, or set yourself above them like you’re automatically better than they are.”

“I know, I know,” Lotor sighs. “I’ve even been studying the history of Marmora. They’ve been through a lot. And I do want to apologize to Keith, to show him I’m sorry…to show him I just want us to be friends again…”

“Then do that,” Keith speaks up, making the two jump as he steps out into the light. He crosses his arms as he stands a little ways from them, trying to look more self-assured and confident than he really feels. “Well? I’m waiting.”

Lotor’s expression grows more serious, before he stands up, walking over to him and bowing down to the waist before him. “I’m so sorry, Keith. What I said was wrong, and I never should’ve treated you that way or spoken like that about your people. The people of Marmora are proud soldiers, whose only crime was having the courage to do what I never have been able to; stand up to the oppression of the royal family of Daibazaal for their terrible behavior.”

He lifts his head, looking Keith up in the eyes, his own soft and pleading. “Can you ever forgive me?”

A part of Keith just wants to leap over and hug Lotor in tears, tell him of course he forgives him. Just let everything pass by and be alright again, removing all the weight he’s been carrying all these months. And he can tell Lotor is genuinely sorry.

But…forgiving him so easily is just not that simple. Keith can’t just let this go, let it pass like nothing has happened. Lotor is still very directly related to the oppression of Marmora. He has already slipped up once. Who is to say he won’t do it again, possibly in even worse ways?

“What are you willing to do for me to forgive you?” Keith says, keeping his tone steady and even.

“Anything. Just name it,” Lotor breathes. “Please. I want us to be friends again. All three of us.”

“It’ll take some time for things to return to the way they were. I need to learn to know I can trust you again,” Keith says. “And I can’t stand that you simply stand idly by while my people suffer. Even I wasn’t going to do that, and I am younger than you. I came here, far away from my family, to help aid our cause. And yet you…”

“I can’t sway my Lord Father to give Marmora independence,” Lotor hisses, pained. “He would pay it no mind, and simply punish me for my words. You’re so brave for being here, Keith, but…we’re still just children. What can we really do right now? What can  _ I  _ really do?”

“You’re still the Prince of Daibazaal,” Keith says. “Even if you can’t give us independence now, you can do it later, when you grow up. I want your word on you doing that.”

Lotor’s throat bobs with a swallow. But he murmurs, “…Alright.”

“And there is something you can do now,” Keith says, not willing to show his surprise that Lotor had agreed so easily. “You get a pretty good allowance from your parents while you’re here, right?” Lotor nods. “The money you don’t use, I want to send to Marmora to help feed my people. Helping them shouldn’t be Coran’s burden or mine, but yours, since you and your people are responsible for us having nothing.”

“Fine,” Lotor says with a shrug. “I’d rather have my friends than money.”

That manages to bring a small smile out of Keith, and he releases a breath, finally relaxing after months of being tense around Lotor. He allows his shoulders to rest a little easier. “Come on then. Let’s go to dinner and then you can help me with my homework for Magical theory.”

Allura gets up from her seat with a smile, settling to walk between them. She mouths “thank you” as she turns to Keith, who just smiles and shrugs. It might take some time for him and Lotor to repair their friendship, but they’ve taken the first step. And as long as Lotor remains willing to try and make things right, make up for the wrongdoings of both himself and the legacy he holds, Keith is willing to try with him.

Allura is worth that effort. He hopes Lotor is as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks a kind of "End of Part One" for this fic; the next chapter will have some time skips as Keith and his friends grow into their preteens and teens :).


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit longer this time :P.

Years pass and blur together. Keith’s uniforms change as he grows out of them and more white stripes get embroidered onto his collar as he moves upwards in his school years. The days spent learning at the Institute become longer, with additional new classes to add to the old ones that slowly grow more challenging. The wooden practice swords are replaced with real blades, Keith learns to play a few instruments, and how to ride a horse on his own. Riding with wind in his hair feels as much like freedom as he always imagined. As he gains more privileges at the Institute, one of his favorite things becomes taking one of the horses for a run around the grounds.

Keith also, possibly most importantly, learns how to harness his powers and gifts and really use them, despite Miss Hira’s continued coldness. He learns to really listen to the world around him for signs of a vision, and how to interpret even the slightest feelings for the future that don’t always come to him in clear images.

He also learns more about the nature of his powers. As years pass, he never does get a vision of an event he can’t change, meaning he likely belongs into the category of Seers who are often called the lucky ones. And Keith can’t exactly deny it is a relief.

He likes that he can make a difference with his visions, whether they be big or small. His sphere of influence is fairly limited for the moment, focused only on people and places he knows, but at least he is able to prevent the people at the Institute from getting food poisoning or warn someone before they get hurt. He figures it is much easier to be the way he is than to be like Lotor, who Sees everything, and has to learn how to tell a difference between the things he can and cannot change. Lotor doesn’t speak much about his visions, but Keith can tell he works hard to both accept the things he can’t change and to do his best with the ones he can.

Keith can’t deny he’s glad he and Lotor were able to solve their issues with some time and discussion, and that he was able to trust Lotor again after a while, too. Lotor showed his commitment to their friendship by always listening when Keith notifies him of a slip-up, and never makes the same mistake twice. He keeps giving Keith money to send home as well, allowing the people of Marmora to fare better than they were able to before. It also means they have more funds to send Keith letters more regularly, which he can’t help but be grateful for. Even if he never tells his family where the money he sends them comes from, knowing his people probably wouldn’t accept charity from the Crown Prince of Daibazaal.

Despite Lotor’s return to their group, however, Allura and Keith maintain their strongly formed connection, deeper than it was before the time spent with just the two of them. Doing each other’s hair becomes a morning and nightly ritual for the two of them, especially as it grows long. It becomes comforting and familiar to brush and dress each other’s hair; a way for them to get ready for the day and settle in for the night. Even when Lotor grows his hair to match theirs, Allura and Keith keep their ritual amongst themselves. It is easy enough, because Lotor doesn’t seem to need to do anything to maintain his hair, always looking perfectly groomed. It would make Keith jealous if he didn’t enjoy the peaceful moments spent with with Allura so much.

But their nightly ritual also made it more painful when Allura, having turned twelve, was moved a floor up into the older students’ dorms. The first night back at the Institute, without Allura in his sleeping quarters and without their routine made Keith’s chest ache with loneliness. He didn’t sleep a wink that whole night, a heavy, painful weight settled into the pit of his stomach.

Thankfully, Allura noticed his feelings, and admitted to having an equally hard time sleeping alone in her new room. She didn’t have a roommate, so she invited Keith to come to her room before lights out to complete their ritual, and in turn came down to meet him in the mornings in the sleeping quarters for the younger students. They got scolded several times because Keith often ended up staying late in Allura’s room in the evening, but they couldn’t bring themselves to part.

By the time the second half of that semester started again in the new year, Keith was moved into Allura’s room early. Keith figures Allura probably took advantage of her status as the Princess to get them special permission, but he doesn’t feel like questioning it. It is much nicer to be with her in the same room, and the added privacy of the senior dorms doesn’t hurt either. They can stay up whispering to each other in the dark without disturbing the others until they fall asleep, and their beds are close enough that they can reach out to touch each other’s hands if they feel lonely or miss home at night. It reminds Keith of how he once used to share a room with his family, once upon a time, and the thought warms him on the inside.

New sleeping quarters is not the only change growing older brings Keith and his friends. As their bodies begin to grow and change, leaving them bony and awkward, they seem to become more and more aware of their bodies and others. Not to mention that one of the new classes they have to take from age ten and up, Health, never lets them forget about those changes and what they mean. The double Health lesson Keith and Allura attend once a movement with the other Omegas in their age group, Lotor going with the Alphas, while the single-hour lesson is spent with everyone their age present, with more generalized information.

Keith can’t say he particularly likes Health as a class. The lessons are more embarrassing than anything. It doesn’t seem fair that they have to think so much more about how their hips are widening and their chests are starting to hurt as they grow, than they already do. Even worse, though, is to hear about how as they grow, scents will begin to change; to take on their own personal note that will be easier to read as all their senses become stronger.

It steers a bit too close to what all that will mean. And it’s not something Keith is particularly eager to think about. The mere idea makes his whole body burn with embarrassment.

“On average, an Omega will have their first heat between the ages of thirteen and sixteen,” Miss Welma explains to them, much to everyone’s great discomfort. “Who can tell me what the early signs of an oncoming first heat are?”

No one dares to raise a hand in the tense, thick silence of the classroom. Someone coughs awkwardly, as if to emphasize how embarrassed everyone is, incapable of looking each other or Miss Welma in the eyes. Others shift in their chairs, as if trying to will the shame away. The tips of Keith’s ears burn in embarrassment as he stares down at his lap.

“No one? Alright then,” Miss Welma sighs. “The first signs of a heat include heightened hunger, sensitive skin, aching chest, weariness, and a slight temperature. The colors of the world may appear especially bright and the smells around you stronger than usual, often to the point of it being a distraction that may cause headaches. When any of you experience such symptoms for the first time, come find a teacher or send a classmate to fetch one. We will then take you to the Institute’s heat chambers, where you can remain up until your first heat has passed.”

“Food, water and heat-assisting equipment will be provided for you while you are in the heat chambers,” she continues. “If you’ve passed the age of fourteen years when you first experience a heat, you may also choose to have a companion for the duration, if your parent or guardian has agreed to it. The companion can be a classmate, someone else of your choice or someone you don’t personally know, who will be brought in from the nearby towns and will have been vetted by the Institute. I encourage you to discuss your upcoming years with your families and guardians, because I’m sure you all understand that you will one day be wed. Not every country is like Altea, and if some of you have foreign betrothals you need to respect, you may be expected to remain completely chaste until your wedding.”

“Same can be said for suppressants,” Miss Welma says. “Once you’ve had your first heat, you can be given medicine to help control your heats, so you will be able to time them and you won’t have to experience as many of them in a year. However, not every country approves of this medicine, and your guardians may not support the idea of you taking it either, if they believe it may harm your future prospects.”

Keith swallows, sweating beneath his uniform from the hot flashes of embarrassment. It seems strange to think about the prospect of marriage already, when he’s only twelve, and his classmates aren’t that much older. He knows nobility and especially royalty tend to marry earlier than the layfolk, but still. The notion feels so far-fetched.

But at least he’s starting to understand a little better what his parents meant when they talked to him about being an Omega, before he left Marmora. And after years of only being able to tell people’s Classifications apart by their clothes, the changes in their bodies are finally starting to make it more obvious if a person is an Alpha, Beta or Omega. And as much as Keith is uncomfortable with the Health lessons, he knows it is vital he understands these things, and learns more about how the world works. He hasn’t forgotten the motto Coran gave him when he first came to his house. Knowledge is still his greatest weapon, and he needs to have as much of it as he can, even knowledge of things he’d rather not hear about.

Regardless, Keith is relieved when the semester comes to an end in the early summer months. Since his first summer in Altea, Keith has spent the warm months free from school at the Summer Palace of Allura’s family, built by the side of the largest lake in Altea. Although a part of him longs to return home every year, he knows in his rational mind that the journey would be too long and taxing, not to mention expensive. And he doesn’t want to burden Coran with that. He can’t be so selfish. Not especially when he has come to love the summers he can spend with his friends in Altea.

Especially since as they’ve grown older, Lotor has started to join them for the whole summer as well, having only come in for the last month of the break when they were younger. But as he has gained more independence over himself and what he does, the Prince has chosen to mostly opt out of returning to Daibazaal. It took him a while to tell Keith exactly why, but when he finally did, Keith had been able to understand well why it might not be something anyone would want to talk about. It required a special kind of trust to tell someone of the beatings his Lord Father would deal out as punishment for any perceived misdeed, or locking him in his rooms for days without food.

Keith had leaped up to give him a tight hug once Lotor was done with his explanation. As they held onto each other for comfort, a thought occurred to Keith – something he’d read before – and he murmured, “What about your Lady Mother?”

He felt Lotor sigh into his shoulder. “She isn’t here to protect me,” he said softly, sadly. “By medical standards, she  _ is  _ still alive. She breathes, and she swallows food when it is fed to her. But she hasn’t left her bed since my birth. She merely stares into the distance, as if she sees something we don’t see.”

He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice sounded a bit rougher around the edges. “People say I inherited my Seeing from her. She was said to be very powerful in her youth, and a grand researcher of magic. Perhaps she is now simply lost in a vision somewhere, unable to bring herself out of it. I think the reason Father sent me here to Altea was so I could become stronger, and figure out a way to bring her out of her stupor…or perhaps he just couldn’t stand the sight of me. Because I am like her, but she’s out of his reach, and I am still here.”

Keith held him tighter, and said nothing. No words could ever make anything Lotor had been through right. All he, Allura or anyone could do is be there for him, to comfort him the best they can, and be his friends. At least they can offer him a sanctuary when they are all together; a different kind of family, and a place where he can feel safe and be away from his Father. The three of them have each other. That is something no one can take away from them.

But knowing what he knows now, definitely hasn’t raised Emperor Zarkon into a more well-regarded position in Keith’s eyes. If he’s willing to treat his own son the way he does, then the people of Marmora absolutely need to break away from him. As much as he is grateful for the days he gets to spend with his friends, a part of him is always looking forward to the future. When he graduates from the Institute and can really work towards Marmora’s independence. He’s not entirely sure what kind of a role he’s meant to play, but he’s sure there is a plan. Otherwise, Kolivan wouldn’t have sent him all the way here.

At least Keith can still keep some pieces of his home and culture with him, especially with Lotor joining him. As Galra, even if they are from different places, they have many similar traditions. When the Celebration of Two Moons – as it is known in Altea – takes place, Lotor and Keith can take their own traditional Celebration of Death with the Altean rituals. They may cleanse themselves from the dust of the year so far by swimming in the lake with Allura, and they each gather nine flowers to pray to each of the Protectors for a Blessing for the rest of the year. They sit up all night to watch the pyre Allura’s father lights by the lake shore burn, until it calls forth the sun in the morning, despite the two moons now competing with it. They partake in the feast before sundown, not unlike the ones Keith recalls from Marmora.

But they also take the time to pray to Death in-between everything and tell stories from their home, to each other and to Allura. Lotor speaks of his Lady Mother sometimes; of the person she used to be, of the stories he’s read and the logs he has found she kept. Keith hopes it helps him deal with the loss of her, because they all know she is as good as dead in her soul and her spirit.

Keith for his part, remembers the elders that have passed on from Marmora, and the stories they’ve told for generations that keep them alive. Sometimes, even Allura joins in on the rituals for the Celebration of Death with her two friends, recalling her grandparents and old nannies she has lost. The three of them often cry together, remembering, but they always feel purified afterwards, their midnight swim feeling even more cleansing afterwards.

Keith looks forward to all of it, and to the rest of the summer. To Allura’s birthday, to the picnics by the lakeside, to the Annual End of Summer Ball. He even looks forward to doing the summer homework with his friends and joining in on the meetings Allura’s Lord Father holds for his council members at the Summer Palace. Allura has been attending them on and off since they were little, but this year she’s determined to be present in a meeting at least once a day. Keith can barely fathom wanting to listen to all those people yapping that much, but he knows deep down he’ll still join her, at least once in a while. It’s practically tradition at this point, and he can always just take a nap or draw if it gets too boring.

He can’t wait.

…

_ Dear Keith, _

_ Thank you for your latest letter and for the monthly income you sent us, as usual. We are as ever grateful for it, even if you still will not tell us where it comes from. Although perhaps it is best we do not know, when we depend on that money now more than ever. It is as you already guessed; the bridge to Atlas is causing us some trouble from the side of Daibazaal. The Emperor’s demands on our shipments of mined minerals grows more unreasonable. Even with the new hands from the prisons of Daibazaal, we are barely managing. At least with the money from you we can still feed ourselves and keep our strength up. _

_ We are hoping something good will come of the bridge in the future, however. It may even be our path to freedom, once we get past the current troubles. _

_ Your sister had her first rut a few movements ago, so that has kept all of us busy. We can tell she is starting to pull away from us, but thankfully she has her friends. She does not speak to us much anymore, but I suppose that is natural. She is growing up and she needs to start forming her own path. We do feel the loss, regardless. It is difficult to lose both our children. _

_ In the meantime, please enjoy your summer, and behave yourself as always for your hosts. I know I do not have to tell you this, but do not forget to represent yourself to your best manner at celebratory occasions either, because you will be representing all of Marmora. _

_ Be well, until the next time we can write. _

_ With love, _

_ Mama and Papa _

…

Summertime is as wonderful as ever. The days are sunny and warm and comfortable. Still, Allura sticks to her vow and attends at least one meeting every day. Keith has to admire her dedication, because even when the heat of the sun calls for them to go out to the lake, she still keeps to her word.

He tells her as much one night, as they lay beside each other in bed. Keith technically has his own rooms beside hers at the Summer Palace, but the two of them have gotten so used to being close to each other at night that not being together just seems strange and lonely. Keith only really uses his rooms when he wants some time alone to read, draw or just be. Allura’s bed is more than big enough for both of them, even now when they’re bigger than they were when they first slept in it together. Honestly, they could easily fit Lotor in with them as well if they were so inclined.

Allura gives Keith a smile over his admiring words in the soft darkness. “It is not so amazing. It is only a part of my duty, if I want to be a good Queen someday. I can’t learn everything at the Institute. I also need to follow in my Father’s footsteps, while learning to forge my own path.”

“You’ll be a great Queen, Allura,” Keith says. “I know you will. And I don’t even need to be a Seer to be able to say so.”

“It means so much, coming from you,” Allura says. “I know you’ll always tell me the truth, Keith. That is why I am so grateful to have you and Lotor both in my life. I have to learn to listen, and not get too comfortable in my position, if I am to be a good Queen. The older I grow, the more I understand the value of people who challenge me to do better, so I can grow and learn to see past myself.”

She sighs. “Unfortunately, getting older also means my power over people will only keep increasing, and with that, it will only get more difficult to find people who will speak plainly to me. I’m realizing that especially now, when Father has started to insist on finding a match for me soon.”

Keith blinks. “But you’ve only just turned fourteen. You haven’t even…” He swallows, feeling his cheeks flush in the dark. “Even…had a heat yet.”

“Nonetheless, it is not an unusual age for a Princess to get engaged, though Father has reassured me I won’t have to actually marry until after I’ve finished school, at least,” she says, and Keith more hears than sees her shrug against the sheets. “He’s kinder than most Lord Fathers in that regard. And I shall have some say in the one I’ll marry, too, but…”

She trails off. Keith reaches out to take her hand beneath the covers, squeezing it in case she needs encouragement to keep going.

“Keith,” she murmurs into the silence after a moment. “Is it wrong to want to choose my own husband?”

Keith blinks again in surprise. “I…” He thinks about it for a moment, licking his lips. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it, I guess.”

“I will do my duty, as is expected of me,” Allura says. “But just this one thing…the person I am meant to live with for the rest of my life…I’d like to be able to choose freely. And I want someone who will speak plainly to me.”

She doesn’t say anything more, and Keith must fall asleep in the silence, because the next thing he knows, it is morning. The window to Allura’s chambers is open and sweet-smelling air is wafting in. Allura isn’t beside him in bed any longer, but that doesn’t surprise Keith; she usually gets up before him, often wanting to finish her daily meeting goal before the hottest part of the day, so she can spend the rest of the day with her friends. So Keith simply gets up, and after a quick wash of his face and changing his night dress into a light summer one, he heads towards the informal dining room for breakfast, like so many mornings before.

Allura isn’t in for breakfast when he arrives, but Lotor is there, reading the newspaper. They give each other quick greetings of good morning as Keith sits down, grabs food set on the table onto his plate and the other half of the paper into his own hands. He’s found following the news whenever he can is one of the best ways to keep up-to-date about what is going on in Erran, and he lets his eyes pass over the articles and their titles as he eats and sips on his juice. The Olkari are in the middle of election season, and the campaigning is in full swing. Daibazaal is raising the cost of exported weapons. Atlas has been building a bridge over the sea to Marmora and is holding its opening day next week.

Keith’s been following that story for years, ever since the project was first announced officially. He’s excited by the trade prospects the bridge offers his people. The fact that it is being built also sends a very clear message to Daibazaal and their supposed power over both Marmora and their rivals in Altas, doesn’t hurt either. Perhaps as time passes on, Atlas can even become more than just a trade partner to Marmora, since it seems like they might have similar interests in terms of enemies as well. The thought makes Keith smile as he finishes eating his bacon.

Before he has the chance to put the newspaper away, the door to the informal dining room slams open, making Keith jump. As he turns his head, he sees Allura standing in the open doorway with a hard line to her shoulders, before she starts stomping her way to the seat at the table she has adopted as her own over the years. She sets herself down into the chair with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest, her brows in a deep, angry frown.

“Something wrong?” Keith asks, a little nervously as Allura reaches for a piece of toast on the table.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Allura huffs, covering her toast with butter and jam in a few quick movements and taking a bite. “I just need to get out of here. Let’s go out to the lake house once we’ve eaten.”

Keith has nothing against that idea, and neither does Lotor. The lake house has been their spot since that first summer Keith spent here. A little hut with a sauna – a small, wooden room that can be heated up steamy and hot to wash and warm up before and after going for a swim, one that Keith always thinks they could really use on Marmora – a shed for the rowboats they often take out, equipment for fishing, and even a small area for beds. The three of them have slept there more than once when the nights have been especially hot, the waves of the lake lulling them to sleep at the same time as they cool them off. They can spend whole days at the lake house and not want to return to the Palace at all.

Therefore, after they’ve all eaten their fill, they start to work in sync after years of familiarity. Keith heads up to pack their swimwear, changes of clothes, sunhats and sunglasses. Lotor goes to gather card decks and other games for them to play. Allura makes her way to the kitchens to get them a basket of snacks and drinks, as well as a blanket for them to sit on. After a while, they meet by the entrance of the Palace, each of them grabbing a hat from Keith, and start making their way outside.

It is a near perfect day. The sun is shining, but gentler now with slowly approaching autumn. Wind whistles gently in the trees, rustling the leaves, and making the birds sing alongside its melody. Keith is relieved to see Allura take in a deep breath of the fresh air and smile serenely once more as the three of them settle the blanket down under one of the big trees near the lakeshore, out of the worst of the sun. They play a few rounds of cards, change into their swimwear when the heat gets too much and cool off in the lake. They splash water at each other and chase each other in the shallows, laughing until they grow breathless and sweatier than they were before.

After another round in the water, they eat a lunch of cold meats, sandwiches and lemonade. Keith settles against the trunk of the tree to read, Lotor putting his sun hat over his eyes to take a nap. Allura lies down beside him on the blanket, but doesn’t sleep, her bright blue eyes gazing towards the skies and the sunlight breaking through the tree branches, shining in her orbs and catching in her freely flowing cloud-like hair.

Keith has to lower his eyes back down onto his book. It’s hard not to be jealous of Allura’s loveliness when she just looks like that so naturally, so effortlessly. Seeing her like this doesn’t make it difficult to believe she is Blessed by Beauty. She and Lotor are both growing up so well, full of grace and effortless splendor Keith is starting to feel he’ll never be able to emulate, no matter how much he studies about etiquette and fine manners. All his few growth spurts seem to do is make him look more like he’s just skin and bone, no matter how much he eats, with his knobby knees, thin shoulders and small chest. He knows as an Omega boy, he can’t ever expect it to grow as big as some of the older girls so far have, but any way he looks at it, he can’t see anything about himself as particularly attractive. Nothing like Allura, who looks like a model in her swimwear.

She suddenly sits up so fast that Keith jumps too, wondering if she somehow could hear what he was thinking. Before he can wonder further, though, Allura turns to look at him and Lotor with bright, almost feverish eyes. “We should do something. Something new.”

Lotor shifts in his napping position, enough to peek at her from beneath his hat. “Such as?”

For some reason, Allura’s cheeks flush at the question. She averts her eyes, wringing her hands nervously. “I…” she murmurs, biting her lip. “Forget about it.”

“No,” Lotor says, sitting up to properly look at her. “You were going to suggest something. So finish what you started.”

If possible, her blush only deepens. Keith barely dares to breathe, the tension in the air thick and heavy.

“I…some of the other Omegas told me of this game,” Allura starts, rubbing her arm with one hand as a nervous gesture, still flustered. “They’d do it in secret at night in the common room. You use a deck of cards, and if you draw a spade, you have to kiss an Alpha. If a heart, then an Omega. Clubs and diamonds for Betas.”

“Lucky Betas, getting half of the chances” Lotor muses, a strange smile on his lips, and a gleam in his eyes. “And you wish to play this game with us?”

Allura licks her lips. “It’s just…” She swallows. “We all have our parts to play. Our duties to complete. We don’t know how many days like this we will have again, as carefree and easygoing. And we only have one youth. I’d like to experience at least some of it before we have to grow up, but I also don’t trust anyone as much as I trust you two…so you’re the only ones I would want to do something like this with.”

Keith smiles then, his heart warmed by Allura’s words. The idea of kissing his friends feels a bit strange, though. It would feel like kissing Acxa, and that thought is less than pleasant.

“How do you want to play?” Lotor asks. “With only three of us here, I don’t think we need to include Betas in the calculations. And do we want to determine which one of you I’ll kiss if I draw a heart?”

“I think I could be hearts, and Keith diamonds,” Allura says, her cheeks still red. “And you could be both spades and clubs.”

“Sounds good to me.” Lotor says with a shrug, before looking at Keith over his shoulder. “Does that sound alright to you?”

“It’s fine,” Keith mumbles, shifting a bit closer to his friends on the blanket, putting his book away. “But won’t it be weird for us to kiss each other?”

“It doesn’t have to be weird, if we don’t make it weird,” Allura says. “You can just think of it like a practice round.”

“Still, I think I’ll pass,” Keith says, crossing his arms. “Like Miss Welma says, I can’t know who I’ll marry. They might be disappointed they weren’t my first kiss.”

“You’re still such a child, Keith,” Lotor says, putting a hand on top of his head and mussing up his hair the way Acxa used to. Keith shifts away from under his hand, grumbling. “I suppose that makes sense, since you’re not even thirteen yet.”

“Shut up,” Keith huffs, blowing air through his bangs and feeling his cheeks flush with annoyance.

“Well, there’s not much point to us playing this game with only two people,” Allura sighs, crossing her arms.

“Well, the point of it was for us to practice kissing, wasn’t it?” Lotor says, turning to smile at her with warm eyes. “I am up for trying with you, if you are, even without the game.”

Allura’s eyes snap wide open, her face flushing so deep that it reaches the tips of her sharp ears as she sits up ramrod straight. “I…I suppose,” she says, a little breathless. “Would you…want to try?”

“Sure,” Lotor says with a shrug. “Come a little closer.”

Keith’s heart pounds in his ears as Allura shifts to sit in front of Lotor until their knees are touching. For some reason, the situation makes him as nervous as it seems to make Allura. He can see her shoulders tremble softly as Lotor reaches to take her hands into his. They nearly dwarf Allura’s own slender hands, their size still a bit at odds with the rest of Lotor’s body, but it’s a clear sign he’s about to grow very tall. Yet his touch on Allura seems gentle and encouraging, holding her like she’s precious like he always has.

“Ready?” he asks softly.

Allura nods. Keith holds his breath as the two of them look each other deep in the eyes, and slowly lean in to touch their lips together in a soft, sweet kiss. Allura’s shoulders relax as she seems to sigh against Lotor’s mouth, and Keith suddenly has to look away, feeling a hot wave of embarrassment. He feels like they’ve forgotten he’s even here and he shouldn’t be seeing this. It feels like trespassing in an unfamiliar territory he should never have found his way to. It makes his insides squirm uncomfortably with a feeling of something he doesn’t understand. All he knows is that this seems bigger and stronger than a simple kiss between friends.

“Princess?” a new voice snaps Allura and Lotor out of whatever world they had been lost in, and draws Keith attention towards one of the Summer Palace’s servants as well. She looks taken aback, as if she, too, isn’t sure if she was supposed to see what had just happened. “I am sorry, Your Highness, I was just…”

Allura sighs, drooping her head for a moment, before turning back to the maid. “It is alright, Meena. What is it?”

“His Majesty the King wanted to know if you’ll be joining him and the Queen for lunch, Princess.”

“No, I think we’ll stay out here,” Allura says. “Tell my Lord Father we’ll meet him for dinner.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Meena gives a quick bow, before turning around and heading back towards the palace.

Allura flops back down to lay on the blanket with a sigh escaping her lips. “So…what now?”

“I think I’ll go swim again,” Keith says, getting to his feet. He wants to cool off from the earlier heated tension.

“Good idea,” Allura says, sitting back up and getting to her feet.

“You go on, I’ll stay here. I want to finish my nap,” Lotor says, settling back down onto the blanket.

“Suit yourself,” Allura says, though the upturn of her nose tells Keith she’s more upset than she wants to show. “Come on, Keith. I’ll race you.”

Keith rushes after her. “Hey, that was a false start!”

…

_ His Majesty King Alfor and His Lady Wife Queen Melenor of Altea _

_ Cordially invite you to our Annual End of Summer Ball _

_ As well as for the late occasion of Our daughter, Crown Princess Allura’s fourteenth birthday _

_ In Our Summer Palace _

_ On the 18 _ _ th _ _ of the 8 _ _ th _ _ month _

_ Please be very welcome _

_ And let us know how many of Your party will be coming _

_ By the 1 _ _ st _ _ of the 8 _ _ th _ _ month. _

…

As the day begins to cool off into the afternoon, the three friends head back inside to get changed for dinner. But as soon as he steps into the formal dining room, Keith can tell something is different than usual. There is a strange tension in the air, one that makes it hard for him to talk and swallow all throughout the meal. King Alfor gives constant unreadable glances in the direction of his daughter, and keeps whispering about something with Queen Melenor. Even Coran’s normally welcome and cheerful questions about what Keith, Allura and Lotor did today seem forced and fall short. It is difficult to so much as cut into food when even the smallest sound seems to rattle the entire room.

It’s a huge relief when everything has been eaten and they’re allowed to retreat to their rooms. Keith feels weary with the weight of the tension, and eager to get some rest.

However, as soon as Allura stands up, her Father says, “Allura, I’d like a few words with you before you go. Alone, with your Lady Mother.”

Keith swallows, feeling cold sweat starting to break out at the back of his neck. This can’t mean anything good. And despite the King’s words, he’s learned to be comfortable and brave enough around him by now to take his friend’s hand in encouragement and ask, “Will you be alright?”

“Yes, I’ll be right behind you. This won’t take long,” Allura says, but her smile doesn’t reach her eyes and Keith can see the tension in her shoulders; feel it in the squeeze of her hand.

Still, Keith can’t really force himself on the situation, so he gives her hand another comforting squeeze, before letting go and heading out of the formal dining room with Lotor and Coran. They don’t speak, the tension from dinner continuing between them, until Coran leaves them on the second floor to head to his office here to finish up some paperwork before bed.

“What do you think the King wanted with Allura?” Keith asks Lotor once they’re alone, heading towards the wing where their bedrooms are located.

“He probably wished to talk to her about the End of the Summer Ball,” Lotor says, his voice coming out strangely cold and strained.

“But that doesn’t make sense,” Keith says. “The Ball takes place every year. The situation at dinner was far too tense to just be about that.”

“This Ball will be a little different,” Lotor says, his mouth a firm, tense line. “Allura is now fourteen. I imagine His Majesty wants to use the occasion to introduce her to potential suitors, so there will be people coming from all over to win her favor. Especially since they already missed their chance over her birthday.”

They had celebrated Allura turning fourteen only a few movements before. It had been a small, intimate occasion, because despite her being the Crown Princess, she has always preferred her birthdays to be like that. Keith can imagine that over her lifetime, huge balls and celebrations can grow tedious and blend together, while smaller occasions to celebrate seem rarer and more precious. She’s always happy to just go out to town to have fun for the day, and then have a delicious but intimate dinner and cake later.

The thought that she perhaps had to fight to keep her special day like that, the way she wanted it, makes Keith’s mouth taste sour. “She said something about that. About suitors, I mean.”

“Allura and her Lord Father are not quite seeing eye-to-eye on the matter, I’m afraid,” Lotor says. “Things have been tense between them because of that for a while now.”

Keith blinks up at him. “She hasn’t said anything about that to me.”

“Perhaps she imagined I’d understand her better, since we’re both the heirs to our respective thrones, and thus have similar duties when it comes to marriage,” Lotor says. “Or perhaps she thought it just wasn’t quite as time-sensitive for you.”

A flare of anger bursts to flame inside Keith’s belly. “You both need to stop treating me like a child.”

“And you need to stop trying to act so grown-up,” Lotor says, though his voice is a bit warmer and lighter now. He wraps a playful arm around Keith’s neck, locking him in, and it’s annoying to realize he’s nearly a head taller than him now as he musses up Keith’s hair. “You’ve got plenty of time to be an adult later, so just enjoy your childhood while it lasts.”

“Stop that!” Keith cries, but he can’t help but laugh, chasing after Lotor as he lets him go and runs away, as if trying to escape.

They stop in front of the chambers Keith shares with Allura, and Lotor says, “Well, this is where I’ll leave you now.”

Keith blinks at him. “It’s not so late. Don’t you want to stay and talk to Allura when she arrives?”

“I’m sorry, Keith, but honestly I am not very interested in hearing about Allura’s many suitors,” Lotor practically hisses, and Keith suppresses a shiver. He’s never seen such a cold anger on his friend’s face, not even that time that he called him a traitor years ago.

“F-fine, whatever,” Keith says, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows. Whatever Lotor’s problem is, he’s not going to let himself be pulled into it. “Good night, then.”

“Good night,” Lotor says.

Keith turns and opens the door to Allura’s chambers, heading through the sitting room to the bedroom to change to his nightwear. He removes his jewelry piece by piece by the vanity – the pearls in his hair, his earrings and necklace – takes off his fine dining clothes and puts on his night dress. He leaves his braid for now, though, figuring Allura will brush his hair for him when she arrives, and settles to read in bed as he waits for her.

Allura comes stomping when he’s only a few pages in, Keith being able to hear her angry steps and slamming doors approaching. Soon enough Allura slams the bedroom door open, pushing it closed just as fast with a few agitated breaths taken in to calm down afterwards. Her face is flushed with agitation, her shoulders tense and irritated.

“I’m seeing that talk didn’t go so well?” Keith says, putting his book away.

“I can’t believe Father,” Allura hisses, stomping over to the vanity to start removing her earrings. “You would think we were living in the past by about 200 years by the way he speaks.”

Keith slips out of the bed, walking over to her in a few quick strides, and starting to help her take off her jewelry with gentle, certain fingers, placing them in their boxes. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Allura lets out a deep sigh, hanging her head as Keith begins to undo her bun. “Meena told Father she saw Lotor and I kissing.”

Keith swallows down his gasp. It’s probably not good to agitate Allura by showing his own nerves. He must remain calm, so she can be calm. To distract himself, to give himself something to do, he grabs Allura’s brush off the vanity and starts running it through a piece of long, fluffy white hair. “What did he say?”

“In essence that I shouldn’t be kissing Alphas that I am not engaged to,” Allura huffs. But her shoulders relax a bit as Keith starts to brush her hair. “That it might give them and any other potential suitors the wrong idea about me if they found out.”

“It was just a kiss,” Keith says, a little frustration entering his own voice on the behalf of his friend.

“I know,” Allura sighs, shaking her head a little. “And perhaps it would be alright if I was marrying an Altean. But I know Father wants me to marry someone from elsewhere so we can form alliances. I think he is worried about the fact Daibazaal is barely selling weapons outside their own borders anymore.”

Keith swallows. “Does he think they’re preparing for something?”

“Minerals, metals and weapons are their most major trading products,” Allura says. “Without exporting them, they barely have enough to eat. So there must be something going on, Father says. Of course Altea is relatively safe, because we’re behind the mountain range, but it wouldn’t hurt to know we’re not alone, if worst comes to worst.”

“It sounds like you don’t agree, though,” Keith says, keeping his tone soft and sympathetic. “You don’t want that.”

“I only wish…” Allura shakes her head. “I know my role in the world. But I just…this one thing, I wish I could choose freely for myself. I don’t want to marry someone I don’t love.”

“Perhaps you’ll learn to love them though. With time,” Keith says, gentle.

“Perhaps,” Allura says. “And perhaps I could even be content with that, if I at least got to live out my youth free and happy, without Father breathing down my neck all the time. If I am to do my duty, I want to enjoy the time I have before I have to do it, if nothing else.”

Keith nods, brushing through a tangle in her locks. “That’s why you wanted to try kissing today.”

“Yes,” Allura sighs, letting her shoulders droop. “I just wish summer would end already. I can’t stand being here, feeling like we’re constantly being watched. At least at the Institute, I have a degree of freedom. I just need to get through this cursed Ball first…”

“Lotor said something about that. That your Lord Father has invited all eligible bachelors in Erran,” Keith says. “Is that why you’re not looking forward to it? You usually love Balls…”

“Not when I am expected to dance with each and every one of those eligible bachelors that night,” Allura huffs. “Why does everything have to be so complicated? Why can’t things just return to the way they were?”

“I guess it’s because we’re growing up,” Keith sighs, feeling a wave of weariness wash over himself. “Not that that makes it any easier.”

Allura hums a soft, nonchalant affirmation.

“I wish you would’ve talked to me about this before though,” Keith says. “We share a room. It can’t have been easy to hide it if you and your Lord Father have been talking about this all summer.”

“I’m sorry,” Allura sighs, hanging her head. “You’ve just never said anything about marriage, and I know you hate the Health lessons too. Not to mention that it is probably not as time-relevant for you yet. I wasn’t sure how much you’d understand.”

“Perhaps none of it,” Keith admits, putting a comforting hand to rest on her shoulder. “But I’d still want to know. I can at least listen, if nothing else.”

“You’re right,” Allura says, finally giving him a small smile in the mirror, raising a hand to cover Keith’s. “While we’re on the subject,  _ have  _ any of your family members brought up marriage at all to you yet?”

“Not really. You were right about that,” Keith says, licking his lips. “Before I left, I suppose I always figured I’d marry Regris someday. He was an Alpha closest to me in age aside from my sister on Marmora. Or maybe I’d marry someone else if they arrived on the Isle by the right time. We usually marry amongst ourselves on Marmora; my parents are the exception. It is difficult to find someone willing to move to such a place as our Isle, but Papa loved Mama enough to make that sacrifice, although it meant leaving everything he’d known behind.”

“That’s so romantic,” Allura sighs longingly.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Keith says, though not unkindly. “What did it give us, in the end? Nothing has changed. Everyone is still working themselves half to death and starving for it in the cold winds that never change.”

“It brought you to them, didn’t it?” Allura says, looking up at him over her shoulder. “You’re the change, Keith. You’ll make a difference for them, I know you will. You’ll become a real lady, marry someone from a good family, and rise above all your family’s struggles.”

Keith snorts. “I think it’ll be a little difficult to find someone from a good family who is willing to move to Marmora.”

Allura presses her lips together, her expression suddenly grim. “Keith,” she says softly, evenly, but her eyes are piercing in the mirror. “Do you really think you’ll be going back to Marmora after all these years?”

Keith blinks, feeling his heart rate increasing in his chest, as if sensing something is wrong. “Of course,” he says, almost cautious, as he feels cold sweat beginning to gather at the back of his neck. “It is my home.”

“Is it?” Allura’s voice comes out a hiss as she turns to look at Keith over her shoulder, her eyes steely and cold. “All you ever talk about is how horrible it was to live there. How you were constantly hungry and cold, with only a few happy moments in-between that barely kept you alive. Can you honestly say that is the kind of life you want to return to?”

“It’ll be different when I go back, you said it yourself,” Keith cries, his voice rising as hurt and anger burn at his core, and he drops the brush at his feet.

“You’ll be different too!” Allura lets out, her voice rising to match Keith’s as she jumps up to her feet, turning to face him. “Do you honestly think you’ll fit back in there again? Or that the people there will want you back?”

Keith’s heart stops for a moment. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Keith, they threw you out like trash the moment they saw the opportunity!” Allura shouts. “They were completely ready to use you, when you were just a child! They won’t take you back when they know you’ll be of more use outside of Marmora, married to a lord and working as a Seer for the nobility somewhere so you can fund the independence of Marmora. Can’t you see that?”

Tears burn in Keith’s eyes, and he hates how his heart pounds in his ears. “That’s not true!”

“Isn’t it?” Allura cries. “You’re better off without them, Keith! You have everything you need here. You don’t need to return there!”

Keith bites down on his lip, trying hard not to let his angry tears slip out. If anything else, he’s not going to show Allura she’s hit him where it hurts.

Instead, he just turns his back on her and heads to the bedroom door. “If that’s what you think,” he chokes out, opening the door. “You really don’t know me at all.”

He walks out, not looking back.

…

_ Dear Kolivan, _

_ I am afraid this is a matter where I will have to deny you for a little while longer. _

_ I will not budge on this. I took Keith away from his home and family earlier than was truly good for him. He has lost some of his childhood because of that, as much as I have done my utmost to care for him. I will not allow his innocence to be cut any shorter, when he is still a child. You should allow him to be a child for a while longer too, Kolivan. You have waited this long for your goals to come to fruition. I am sure you can wait a few more years. _

_ However, to appease you for now, I promise to look out for potential matches for Keith at the End of the Summer Ball. Although I will not carry out formal requests, I can give indications for the future. I do think it is best if we do not let Keith know until the time is right and we are officially moving forward with something, however. _

_ Still, I doubt you have too much to worry about. Keith may not have wealth or titles, but he is well-educated, smart and anyone can see he is growing into a beautiful young lady. Good matches have been made with fewer prospects. You can also reassure Keith’s parents that I will do all I can to make sure he ends up with not just someone advantageous for your cause, but someone who will truly cherish and care for him. It is the least I can do, considering I cannot promise the same to my dear Princess. _

_ Be patient, Kolivan. You will get what you deserve in the end. Take care until then. _

_ Yours sincerely, _

_ Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe _

…

Keith’s own bed is foreign and smells of nothing but clean sheets. It is too big and too quiet without Allura and her soft, even breathing that always lulls him into good dreams. Hearing it has been the only thing that has made him feel safe at night, no matter where he is.

The thought of that brings Acxa to his mind, painful enough for Keith to curl in on himself. His sister must be almost grown by now. She’ll have been working in the mines for years already, and Keith has no idea what she looks like now. She used to be his rock, his everything, and yet…he can’t remember the last time they communicated personally in any way. She has never written him a personal letter, though she must know how by now. The letters have always just come from the family in general.

Was the last time they spoke really when Keith left Marmora? And how is this only now occurring to him? He wants to excuse himself, tell himself he’s been busy with school, but he knows in his heart that is not true. There has been time to think about her, about everyone. This whole summer, at the very least. And yet he hasn’t, not specifically, not even when he gets letters from home. Not even when they’ve sorely lacked Acxa’s personal touch.

It’s always hurt thinking too much about Marmora, about how much he misses his family. About how anything and everything he remembers from home seems so far away now, blurred by memories of his time spent in Altea. Memories of Acxa have become replaced with memories of Allura and Lotor, memories of his parents with memories of Coran, memories of Marmora with memories from the Institute, Coran’s house, the Summer Palace. Keith’s heart has become filled with his new life. All that remains from his home and family are soft, blurred memories of hunger and cold. The touch of his parents’ hands, the warmth he felt near his sister, the thrill he got from the stories of the elders…all of it feels distant and almost like a dream more than something that was once so real.

Keith jumps out of his thoughts with the sound of a knock on his door. “Keith?” he hears Allura’s voice ring through. “Are you in there?”

Keith swallows, sitting up slowly. He wonders if he should just keep his mouth shut and see what happens. See if she’ll just leave if he pretends he’s not here. But his chest hurts and he’s weighed down by loneliness as his anger fades. It’s not even anger at Allura, but more at himself. He doesn’t have the strength to keep fighting. Not when everything is difficult enough without that.

“Yes, I’m here,” he mumbles, loud enough to make sure Allura can hear him.

Allura opens the door, peeking inside from the crack, now dressed in her nightgown. “Can I come in?”

“You’ve already made it this far,” Keith says, sitting up properly. “You might as well.”

Allura gives him a forced smile, before stepping in, quietly closing the door behind her. She steps over to him, sitting down on the bed at his feet. “Keith, I’m so sorry about what I said. I didn’t mean…”

“You did,” Keith says softly, staring down at his hands on his lap. “But that’s alright. I only really got angry because you were right.”

“Oh, Keith,” Allura murmurs, and covers his hands with her own. It’s a warm, comforting, familiar weight, and makes Keith look up into her tearful, soft eyes in the dark.

“I’ve almost forgotten everything and everyone I loved on Marmora,” Keith murmurs bitterly. “Only the bad memories remain. And I know you’re right in that I’m probably never going back there. I think I’ve always known that.” He sniffs, shaking his head as he feels his eyes burn again. “I just didn’t want to admit it.”

Allura shifts closer to him on the bed, and wordlessly pulls him into her arms, letting Keith rest his head on her shoulder like so many times before when she’s comforted him. He’s let her do the same to him when she’s the one who needs to be held. He wants to think he would’ve tonight, when she had calmed down, if they hadn’t started fighting.

It makes him wonder if this was the way Acxa used to hold him when he was sad. Or Mama, or Papa, or the others. He can’t remember.

All he can do is hold tighter onto Allura. The very least he can do is make sure this relationship stays intact. She is his family now. He can’t let what they have fall apart so easily. Not when they might need each other more than ever in the coming months and years.

He has a feeling that they will.

…

_ Dear Ryou, _

_ I have reached Altea safe and sound with Mother. This is our third night here. It is a beautiful country, and I am glad for the opportunity to visit, even if the reasons are what they are. If only to see it, I was satisfied to make the journey, although I know Mother’s cause for us to be here will be a waste. My body aches with the remnants of the travel, but I’m blessed to be able to go outside of Atlas at least this once, so I don’t allow myself to care about that. I doubt I will have many more opportunities to do so after, no matter what the outcome of our current visit is. That’s why I plan to take full advantage of the occasion. _

_ I wish you could be here with me, though. Mother has kept her watchful eye on me constantly throughout our journey here, and I barely got a moment to breathe by myself. She close to loses her wits every time I so much as try to step out onto the balcony during the dark to look at the stars, never mind that the nights are still warm. I need you here to distract her, so she will have more than one son to mind to keep her occupied. But I know the duties of a Crown Prince must come first. _

_ I thank all of the Nine that at least Matt and Sam are here with us. Mother mostly trusts them to keep an eye on me, so now that we’re in Altea, I am not completely stuck at our hotel. I know I should not be glad that the journey has exhausted Mother enough that she doesn’t want to leave her room, but I cannot fully say I am entirely sorry she is not around to constantly warn me to take it easy when we go out to town. You would think she’d trust me to say when I get too tired, and I have, but no. She always must do as she sees best. _

_ Don’t worry though. I am not listening to her more than I have to, even if it means she asks about a hundred questions when I return to the hotel. I am determined to live out at least a bit of my youth while I still can, like you said. _

_ I will tell you more when I return. In the meantime, don’t get in too much trouble while I am not around to get you out of it. _

_ ~Takashi _

…

Summer days grow short and as the Ball approaches, there is less and less time to spend on fun. Allura is almost constantly occupied, helping her parents and the servants plan the occasion, since this year it is specifically in her honor. Keith sticks around for these talks, as tedious as they are and as little help as he is, hoping his presence might at least keep some of the tension away, and to be a moral support to Allura if not. It seems to help some, because King Alfor doesn’t seem inclined to mention suitors as long as Keith’s in the room. Allura seems to realize that as well, because she always leaves with him if he so much as has to excuse himself to go to the restroom.

“I wanted to thank you,” Allura says as they’re washing their hands together after one such occasion. “I know what you’ve been doing. And I want you to know I appreciate it.”

Keith gives her a smile. “I know I can’t do much,” he says. “But I can at least do this. And if there’s anything else, just ask. I want to help.”

Allura returns his smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

A movement before the Ball, Coran drives Allura, Keith and Lotor out to the city to purchase new gowns and a suit to wear for the Ball. Keith still thinks getting new dresses for every occasion is frivolous, but he’s gotten used to it by now. It is true both he and Allura have grown quite a bit since last summer, and he figures that although this Ball isn’t really about him, it can’t hurt to look his best. After all, nearly the whole world will be there with its representatives, and he needs to make a good first impression. Any one of the guests could be someone who he needs to remember him positively in the future. He gets a dress in red, which has become his signature color in the passing years.

Still, Keith has to admit he’s never quite gotten used to the more formal occasions he’s been made to attend as Allura’s friend and Coran’s ward over the years, especially as he and his friends have grown older and been allowed to sneak out on their own less. They’ve still usually managed to have fun amongst themselves, but this time, with Allura being occupied with all the bachelors she needs to dance with, Keith and Lotor are left by themselves.

It is not so bad. They dance several dances together and chat on the balcony when it gets too much to be inside. They eat little cakes and other things they like in-between, and make fun of the people Allura is forced to dance with. But it’s not the same, and for all their jokes, it’s also not easy seeing Allura give forced polite smiles and curtsies to all her dance partners, when they know they’ll just bore her and step on her toes. Lotor’s eyes in particular seem to follow her all night, even when he’s dancing with Keith. He keeps looking in the direction of the tall, dark-haired young man Allura is currently occupied with, his eyes icy and hard, although he still never misses a step in the dance.

Keith’s feet are starting to ache. He may love dancing, but doing it in the heels he’s recently started wearing for hours isn’t painless. His head is growing a little cloudy with the cup of wine he was allowed to try earlier for the occasion, too. It had tasted sweet and inviting in his mouth, but also seemed to make everything brighter and stronger and more exhausting. And now dancing is starting to make him dizzy, too. He’ll probably excuse himself for the night after the song ends, feeling ready to collapse into bed.

Keith doesn’t notice how he and Lotor have drifted beside Allura and her partner in their dancing until they’re almost touching. So occupied he was with his own weariness. But he figures Lotor probably guided them there either subconsciously or on purpose, so he could better watch Allura.

Keith only barely hears it when Allura hisses, “Keith, switch with me.”

Before Keith can fully comprehend what she has said, he feels the world spin around himself, enough to make him nauseous as Lotor lets go of him. At first he feels like he can’t stop his feet from spinning, stop the world from going around in circles. But something solid stops him and takes a hold of him. It takes Keith a while to figure out that he is in the arms of someone again. But it is not Lotor. The clothes are entirely different, in fashion he hasn’t seen before, and as Keith looks up, he has to crane his neck even further than with his friend.

The Alpha takes his hand, the other landing between Keith’s shoulder blades; a warm, solid weight that covers his entire back. Almost instinctively, Keith finds himself placing his hand on the man’s shoulder until they’re in the proper dancing position. All the while, he loses himself in the Alpha’s dark, deep eyes; black holes that seem to suck Keith in. The Alpha’s hair is even darker, cropped short and shaved on the sides, but hanging in one long tuft in front of his angular, beautifully sculpted face, curling a little with the sweat gathered at his brow. It moves along with him as he begins to lead Keith in tune with the music, graceful and easy, holding him secure and steady.

Keith swallows, trying to do something about his suddenly dry throat as he forces himself to lower his eyes. “Y-your Highness.”

Prince Takashi of Atlas. Keith hadn’t recognized him from afar, all of Allura’s partners starting to blur together after the long night. But thinking about it now, it makes sense for him to be here. Prince Takashi is not in line for his own Kingdom’s throne, so of course he’d be sent out to search for good marriage prospects from outside his country. An alliance formed between Atlas and Altea probably wouldn’t hurt, given that Daibazaal hasn’t been exactly happy about Atlas’ decision to build a bridge to a place that is technically their territory.

All these facts do nothing to ease Keith’s sudden weak knees and pounding heart, though. He may be friends with Allura and Lotor, but Prince Takashi is the first person of a royal family he’s met who wasn’t his friend first. Keith has only ever danced with minor lords thus far at balls, and they were mostly ambitious people wanting to use him to get closer to his friends. This is a very different matter entirely. All lessons on proper etiquette seem to leave him at a loss for words and he can feel the flush of shame as he realizes his hands are sweating inside his gloves. He just hopes the Prince won’t feel it through the fabric.

Only familiarity with the steps and his rhythm with the music keeps Keith from stepping on the Prince’s toes as he guides him forward in the dance, giving Keith a friendly smile. “Lady Keith, am I correct?”

For some reason, hearing that puts Keith enough at ease to snort. Or perhaps it’s a nervous reflex. “I am hardly a lady.” He hurries to add, “Your Highness.”

“No need to be so formal,” Prince Takashi says. His voice is warm, deep and kind. It makes Keith’s insides squirm in a way he’s never felt before, hitting him in places he didn’t even know existed. “We’re dancing together, aren’t we? And dance is about trust, so I believe it should be a movement of equal partners. We shouldn’t put barriers like titles between us while we’re dancing.”

That makes Keith smile. “If you say so.”

“I am sorry if Princess Allura and I startled you,” Prince Takashi says, lifting him up lightly by the waist as he spins him in the air with the other dancing pairs, before settling him back down. Keith feels like a part of him was left up in the air even as he moves to meet the next set of steps. “She wanted to have at least one dance with Prince Lotor tonight, and it seemed like doing so in the middle of a dance was the only way she could do it.”

“I don’t mind. If that’s what she wanted, I’m glad if I could help,” Keith says. He supposes after the kiss before, Allura probably couldn’t simply go fetch Lotor for a dance while her Lord Father is watching. She likely figured he wouldn’t come interrupt if she switched partners in the middle of a dance, not wanting to cause a scene.

“She said so as well,” Prince Takashi says. “You’re a good friend.”

“She deserves to have a bit of fun,” Keith says, allowing Prince Takashi to move him away and then pull him back in by his hand. “But why did you agree to it? You don’t really gain anything from that.”

“I suppose I simply could understand her point of view,” Prince Takashi says. “We have similar duties and are here for similar reasons, after all. Although I don’t think either one of us is very happy with the arrangement our parents are likely angling for.”

That makes anger flare up inside of Keith. “Why not?” he finds himself hissing, before he can bite his tongue. “Allura is a beautiful Omega and you would be lucky to have her for a wife. Is it because you hate the idea she’ll be Queen and you’ll just be Prince Consort? I know that’s not how things are done in Atlas but Allura will be a great Queen, and-”

“Whoa, whoa there,” Prince Takashi laughs. Keith feels his face flushing, and he has to lower his eyes in sudden shame. How does he have such a poor grip of himself right now? “That is not it, Keith. Allura is lovely, I know that on an educated level. However, if I am to be given any choice in who I’d like to marry, I’d at least want it to be someone I can be attracted to.”

Before Keith can hiss at him again, Prince Takashi continues, “And that does not include women or girls of any kind, I’m afraid.”

“…Oh.”

Prince Takashi chuckles. “In any case, as much as it would benefit our Kingdoms, I am not sure her parents could find enough common ground with mine in the match, even if Princess Allura and I both agreed to it. There are just…too many moving variables.”

“What kinds of variables?” Keith asks.

“Ones you’re a bit too young for,” Prince Takashi teases, just as the music ends.

He bows down at Keith, lowering the hand still holding his, and giving the back of it as kiss. “Thank you for the dance, milady.”

Keith curtsies, understanding with the dance, the time of informalities has also ended between them. “Thank you as well, Your Highness.”

Prince Takashi straightens up, smiling down at Keith as he lets his hand go. “Perhaps we’ll meet again someday, Lady Keith. It was good to talk to someone like a person for once.”

Keith manages to return the smile. “It was, Prince Takashi.”

The Prince gives him one last nod, before heading off into the crowd. Keith glances over where his friends are, and sees King Alfor approaching them from the other side of the ballroom. He sighs, shaking himself out of his stupor, and starting to head that way himself. Hopefully he can salvage the situation at least a little bit.

Still, the scent of Prince Takashi seems to linger on him even when he finally retires to bed that night. The smell of a summer storm, brewing in the air, like lightning before it strikes.

It is a nice smell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I originally wasn't going to have Shiro appear until later, but you all wanted him and I had the opportunity, so I decided to give him a little cameo :D. This is for all of you guys!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the tags apply in this chapter. I'll put the specific warnings in the end notes in case you want to know going in.

Another year passes. Allura doesn’t get engaged, and for a while, all talk of marriage is put aside, at least for the school semester. But occasionally Allura receives letters from home that make her grumble under her breath, before she tosses them into the fire. She doesn’t talk much about what they say, just that it is “more of the same”; Keith can guess she and her Lord Father still aren’t exactly seeing eye-to-eye on the issue of her future prospects.

Allura even spends the Celebration of Life with Keith at Coran’s house rather than going to stay with her parents. Coran cares enough to take her in, despite the fact it must be awkward, being between her and his King and employer. He does try to talk her into at least writing to her parents to wish them well, saying that they do miss her very much, but Allura won’t budge.

“We’ll just end up fighting again,” she says, and Keith can’t help but think she’s probably right.

The second half of the school semester following the Celebration doesn’t bring much change, and the new summer only brings more tension. Allura had even expressed her displeasure of having to return to the Summer Palace to live with her parents for the months away from school. But unfortunately, Coran can’t host her for that long with no supervision, in addition to needing to be where her parents are as the King’s advisor, and Keith and Lotor don’t have anywhere else to take her.

They mostly settle the issue by avoiding Allura’s parents as much as possible over the summer months. And whenever they can’t manage to keep away from them, Lotor and Keith make sure to always stay with her or come up with an excuse for why she can’t stay in the same room alone with the King and Queen. All in all, none of it is that difficult. Keith, Allura and Lotor stay at the lake house and have the servants bring them food for picnics that they eat under their tree. If they need something else, either Keith or Lotor will sneak into the Palace to get it. It is big enough that it’s easy to do so without being spotted, especially given Allura’s parents and Coran are usually working in one of the offices or having a meeting in the conference chambers.

It is a peaceful, happy summer of freedom. The three friends live in a little dream-like bubble, shutting out everything bad that exists outside their small piece of paradise by the lake. Allura doesn’t even attend any meetings. They simply play, swim, ride horses, fish, go on boat rides on the lake and enjoy themselves. Sometimes they nap in the sun or read, or practice with their swords and do their homework and magic exercises. Allura Heals any cuts or burns they get, and Keith stops her from stepping on a sharp shell in the sand and cutting her foot. Occasionally Keith sketches images of his friends or paints pictures of the landscape.

But at night, all the joy seems to leave the world with the sun, and Keith finds himself lying awake between his friends, a cold weight settled in the pit of his stomach. With the warmth of day, all illusions of serenity and happiness vanish as well, and he feels the falsity of them. Deep down he knows this kind of peace can’t last, just like the summer won’t and daytime doesn’t. He and his friends can’t avoid their duties forever. They are all in their proper teens now, and Keith knows it is only a matter of time before their childhood comes to an end. This may well be their final summer of childish pretense.

The thought fills him with dread, one that seems to almost come from outside of himself, in ways he can’t control. And he’s learned enough about his powers to know that can’t mean anything good. Something bad is about to happen. But as much as he tries to reach for the feeling, to get a proper vision so he’d know what he can do to stop it, he can never seem to catch onto the thread, no matter who he thinks about. All that comes is morning, and with it another wonderful day that makes him forget about his worries.

But the summer days are growing shorter with each setting sun and the End of the Summer Ball is fast approaching again. Keith doubts he and his friends can avoid attending. People would question Allura’s lack of presence and that wouldn’t be good for anyone. The looming days weigh on him especially now inside the Summer Palace, the walls seeming to vibrate with a coldness despite the warmth of the sun flooding in. Keith’s hands break out in cold sweats around the fresh sketch pad he snuck inside to fetch. He tries to keep his breathing under control, even as his heart pounds in his chest, not wanting to be found before he can slip back outside again.

But as he turns a corner to head towards the backdoor, he freezes in his tracks as he realizes his efforts are too little, too late. King Alfor stands before him, his arms crossed over his chest. Keith swallows, although Allura’s Lord Father doesn’t look particularly angry. His body has become completely immobile and numb before the King, unable to so much as say anything from the shock of the sudden arrival.

“Good day, Keith,” the King speaks, his tone even and neutral; difficult to discern his mood from. “Would you accompany me to my office? I wish to speak with you.”

Keith swallows again, trying to clear his dry throat and get his mouth to work. “Allura and Lotor are waiting for me, Your Grace.”

“I promise you this won’t take long,” King Alfor says, sounding kind enough, and even giving him a small smile. “Now, please, follow me.”

Before Keith can even consider simply running off in another direction once Alfor’s back is turned, the King takes a hold of his shoulder and begins practically pushing him forward. It leaves Keith no choice but to follow him through the Palace corridors, into the office he has only visited a few times with Allura, but never on his own with just the King for company.

“Please, have a seat,” Alfor says, finally letting go of Keith’s shoulder to walk behind his enormous desk and sitting down in his office chair.

Keith bites his lip, but softly moves to sit himself on one of the guest chairs in front of the desk. He makes sure to sit with his skirt properly smoothed beneath him, his legs together, back straight and chin up. The way he’s been taught a lady sits. He’s not going to let the King see any more of his nerves than he already might have.

“Keith, do you know why I have asked you to come here?” King Alfor asks, placing his hands on top of his desk.

“Not precisely, Your Grace,” Keith says. “But it has something to do with Allura, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed,” Alfor says. “You’ve been a good and loyal friend to my daughter for many years now, and for that, I thank you. Allura trusts you implicitly and respects your opinion more than most members of my court, even. She would heed your council, should you give it to her.”

Keith narrows his eyes. “Is that what you want of me? To ‘give her council’?” he asks, doing his best to keep his tone even, though he’s not sure how well he succeeds. “I assume to make amends with Your Grace?”

“You’ve always been a bright child,” King Alfor says, a sweet smile on his lips that makes a flame of anger burn the back of Keith’s throat. “I greatly love and miss my daughter, and so does her Lady Mother. We simply wish for her to come here, so we can talk. If you personally delivered my message…”

“If you want to make amends, you could simply go to the lake house yourself, and talk to her,” Keith cuts in. After a breath, he remembers to add, “Your Grace.”

“Unfortunately, I cannot do that,” King Alfor says. “I mustn’t be seeing giving in, bowing down to the whims of my daughter. It would make me look weak to my people. What kind of a King am I, if I cannot even maintain peace in my own household and family?”

“One that is willing to listen and admit he’s wrong when need be. One that is a good Lord Father,” Keith hisses, lowering his eyes. He doesn’t think he has the courage to speak candidly while looking the King in the eye. “Allura just wants to be able to do as she wants for as long as she can. You, more than anyone, knows how seriously she takes her duty. She will do what she must when the time comes. But until it must, can’t she at least be warranted a little bit of freedom and happiness?”

“And where does that freedom end, exactly?” King Alfor says, his tone still even, but his eyes looking a bit icy. “If she ends up hurting her prospects, she may think she can have even more freedom to do as she likes. You and her are still too young to understand that there are consequences to your actions. Allura can’t just throw away her future because of childish whims.”

Keith bites back a growl. “Tell me, Your Grace,” he mumbles. “If Allura was an Alpha, would you still be this concerned with her ‘prospects’, as you call them? From what I hear, almost all Princes are nearly expected to sire at least one bastard before they marry.”

A frown line forms between the King’s brows. “Watch how you speak to me, child,” he murmurs. “You’re forgetting your place. I have allowed you to speak familiarly to me because you’re my daughter’s friend, and I’ve known you for many years, but you should remember that I am King.”

“You’re not my King, though,” Keith hisses. “I am not Altean.”

“You might be, one day,” King Alfor says. “And regardless, do you think this is the proper way to talk to any King? You won’t fit in at any court if you think it is.”

“Perhaps not,” Keith says. “But you asked me to come here as my friend’s Lord Father, to ask me a favor no less. So I talked to you as such, as I always have. And make no mistake, Your Grace, I do wish for you and Allura to make up because I can tell the lack of peace between you makes her unhappy. But I won’t ask her to give up on her principles or wants for that. You said it yourself, sir, that I am loyal. But my loyalty is first and foremost to her, not you.”

He takes in a steadying breath. “And furthermore, I think you should remember when it is time to talk to her as her Lord Father, and not as the King. You can’t always expect her to fall in line like one of your subjects. She is more than that; your daughter and heir. Someone you ought to listen to properly once in a while.”

Having said that, Keith takes in a deep breath, and holds it in silence as he waits for the King to answer him. Alfor seems to deliberate for a good while, looking over at Keith with serious, sharp eyes. The man sitting across from him seems so different from the man Keith has come to know as Allura’s Lord Father over all these years. Alfor has always been good and kind to him, and a loving Father to Allura. This man seems like a stranger compared to that, and it is scary enough to make Keith start to break out in cold sweat again, clutching his sketch pad for support. He has no idea what this man is capable of. He makes the Alfor he thought he knew seem like a stranger; a façade.

Thoughts of any possible types of retaliation rush through Keith’s head with such a speed that it makes him dizzy. The King could fire Coran as his advisor. He could work against Marmora’s cause for independence when the time comes for them to make their play. He might make Keith get expelled from the Institute, or block his marriage prospects in a few years, when it is time for him to start thinking about his own engagement.

But instead, all Alfor does is sigh, and shut his eyes. “I see you cannot be persuaded. You are dismissed.”

The shock and relief are almost enough to freeze Keith in his spot yet again, but he somehow manages to mechanically stand up, give a short bow, and leave the room. It is only once he’s outside the office that he dares to breathe again, and he sends up a short prayer to Life for having escaped that situation without too much trouble. He just hopes this will be the end of the matter, and that Alfor won’t retaliate later for his speaking out of turn, and refusing to help him unconditionally.

Keith can barely remember how he gets his body outside the Summer Palace. But once he’s in the garden, he sprints and doesn’t stop until he’s back at the lake, flopping to lay down on the blanket his friends are sitting on, set beneath their tree.

“What took you so long?” Allura asks, a note of worry in her tone.

Keith turns onto his back, looking up at her hovering over him, her silvery hair shining in the sun beams coming in through the branches and leaves. “Your Lord Father wished to have a word with me.”

Allura’s eyes narrow, and the line of her mouth hardens, as if she had just eaten something sour. “What did he want?”

“For me to ask you to go and see him and your Lady Mother. He wants to make amends,” Keith says, suddenly feeling weary with the weight of it all. “I told him he should come by himself and say it.”

“Thank you,” Allura says, her tone softer now, as she brushes a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry he ambushed you like that. He had no right to do that.”

“Technically, he did,” Lotor cuts in. “This is his Palace, and his Kingdom.”

“You’re not helping,” Allura hisses.

“I’m not going to tell you what to do, Allura,” Keith says, managing to sit up properly to look at his friends. “And I don’t want you to have to give up on what you want, either. But I also know you love your royal parents, and we’ll be returning to the Institute soon enough. Wouldn’t it be better to leave without grudges between you?”

Allura presses her lips together. “I could,” she sighs. “If I knew Father would at least be willing to listen to me and meet me halfway. I don’t want to be the only one to give in a little, even if I am his daughter. If I am to help Father rule someday, before I properly take over, there are going to be issues on which we disagree. I can’t always be the one to budge, even if it might mean fighting him on something. I can’t let my feelings as a daughter prevent me from doing what I think is right.”

“I know, and I agree. I told your Lord Father that as well,” Keith says, before something catches his attention in the horizon behind her. A smile breaks onto his face. “And perhaps you don’t have to. Look!”

Allura turns over to glance over her shoulder, following his line of sight. Keith hears her gasp a little, seeing her Lord Father approaching across the lawn.

“Allura,” King Alfor says, once he’s a little ways off from them. His expression carries weight and weariness in it, as do his shoulders, more slumped than Keith’s ever seen them. “Would you come with me? I want to talk to you.”

Keith sees Allura brace herself, probably fighting the urge to give in, even now. She’s standing behind what she just said, firm and determined, even in the face of temptation. Keith has to admire her for it. He’s not sure he could do the same with his own family.

“That depends, Father,” Allura says. “What does this matter concern?”

“I wish for us to talk, so we can reach a compromise on the matter of your marriage,” King Alfor says. “I can’t promise you will get everything you want, but that will also mean that neither will I. If we work together, I am sure we can come to a consensus that satisfies both of us to a degree where we can lay this matter to rest for the moment.”

Allura gets to her feet. “Very well. I will come, but only if you promise to actually listen to me this time, instead of just talking over me. I won’t stay long if we’re only going to repeat old patterns.”

“I promise,” King Alfor says, a small smile taking over his lips. Keith thinks he sees a touch of pride in that smile. “If I slip, please interrupt me.”

“Oh, I intend to,” Allura says, giving her friends a quick smile over her shoulder, before heading to her Lord Father’s side.

“Well,” Lotor says once she’s gone, nudging Keith’s side. “Whatever you said to him must’ve worked.”

Keith can feel himself blush. “I didn’t really do anything.”

“You made him listen,” Lotor says. “You should be proud. It’s a very useful skill to know how to argue with a King to see your side of the matter.”

“I guess,” Keith says, laying back down on the blanket. The rush of emotions has left him weary, and he lets his eyes slip closed as soft winds caress his cheeks. He allows that and the calm waves of the lake to lull him into rest.

…

_ To His Grace King Noriaki Shirogane, _

_ We are very disappointed to hear of Prince Takashi being unfit to travel to this year’s End of the Summer Ball. We wish him, and all of you all the best health. _

_ However, We believe it will not hurt for him not to attend next year either. Given the circumstances, We believe nothing other than more ill health will come of it. _

_ Crown Princess Allura sends her deepest sympathies and expresses hope that the Prince has a wonderful fall season, experienced in better spirits, even if they may miss one another. _

_ From the Hand of, _

_ His Grace King Alfor of Altea _

…

Allura doesn’t return to the lake house until late at night, throwing herself to bed immediately with exhaustion but smiling from ear to ear all the same. She and her Lord Father negotiated for hours. They’ve agreed that Allura won’t have to get engaged until she graduates from the Institute, but in return, Allura must keep an open mind about meeting her potential suitors and at least give them a chance to make an impression on her.

“Father promised me I get to ask them questions myself, though,” Allura says, a touch of relief to her voice. “From now on, I will make all the decisions. If I say I don’t want to dance with someone another time, he’s promised to respect my wishes. We will narrow the list of potential husbands down together.”

“I’m so glad you were able to make up,” Keith sighs, covering her hand in encouragement.

“Yes,” Lotor says, but his voice sounds a little strange. Almost forced. “It is very good indeed.”

It is a relief to reach the end of the summer months in better spirits, and to be able to return to the Palace to live and sleep. It means a sense of normalcy coming back, driving away Keith’s anxieties and Allura’s tensions with her parents. And although she still has to dance with a lot of bachelors at the End of the Summer Ball, she also gets moments in-between to dance and spend time with her friends. She and Lotor share several dances between just the two of them, too. Keith either sits in the sidelines eating or allows another of the minor lords present to twirl him around on the floor while they do.

A part of him can’t help but wish he could dance with Prince Takashi again, just for the sheer fun of it. The Prince was an amazing dancer, and most of his partners tonight keep stepping on his toes. He feels the longing for someone to talk to, as well, as he watches Allura and Lotor dance, completely lost in their own world. Keith is glad that Allura is able to have some fun and dance with someone she knows and cares about without having to plan it out. But he can’t help but feel a little lonely for it too, like he’s somehow being cut out or left behind. The same way he felt when he watched them share that weird kiss last summer. It really is unfortunate that apparently Prince Takashi was right, and he’s been dismissed as a suitor for Allura and didn’t even come to attend this year’s Ball.

Towards the end of the night, as the dancers begin to dwindle but Allura and Lotor still seem eager to keep at it, Keith simply decides to retire. He’s been sipping on his one allowed cup of wine again for something to do, and it’s starting to make his eyelids droop. He might as well give in to the weariness, since it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be missed here. So he heads upstairs and quickly settles into his and Allura’s shared bed.

He’s not sure how long he’s been asleep when something rouses him. Keith can hear the muffled sound of a door clicking shut, and as he opens his eyes, whispers through the crack to the bedroom also reach his ears.

“…had a really wonderful time tonight,” he hears Allura’s voice speak in a low tone.

“As did I,” Lotor’s voice responds, and Keith can hear the warmth in his tone. “Even if I had to watch you dance with all those others before I got to have you for myself.”

Allura sighs. “It can’t be helped. I did promise Father. And at least this way we got to have some time together as well.”

“I know,” Lotor says. “Did any of them raise your interest?”

“Why, are you jealous?” Allura’s tone is teasing.

“Of course, I am,” Lotor hisses. “Allura, you know it’s killing me to watch all this unfold.”

Both his tone and his words shake Keith so much that he finds himself slipping out of bed, tiptoeing across the room the door. Any thoughts of eavesdropping being considered rude slip to the back of his mind, overcome with curiosity and confusion.

“I don’t like it either, Lotor,” Allura says, and Keith is just in time to peer through the crack in the door to the sitting room of her chambers to see her take Lotor’s hand in hers. “But you know this is how things must be. We need to be grateful for what we  _ can _ have, that at least we’ve been given a little more time.”

Keith stifles a gasp as Lotor pulls Allura to his embrace. It’s not that he’s never seen his friends hug, but…there is something different to this time in comparison to the others. The way Allura tucks herself into Lotor, and he presses his chin into her hair; the way they hold onto each other so tightly and yet look almost sad as they do.

“I only wish…” Lotor murmurs, but apparently can’t bring himself to finish, simply burying his face into Allura’s head.

“I know. Me too,” Allura sighs. “But we both have our duties, our parts to play. They are bigger than either one of us, bigger than any one individual. And as much as I love you, Lotor, that duty will always be stronger than I am.”

Keith swallows down another gasp, both at Allura’s words, and at Lotor loosening his hold on Allura enough to cup her chin and look her deep in the eyes. His hands look so big on her, but they hold her so gently it doesn’t even matter. “I know. I hate it, but I know,” he says. “But won’t you at least come to my room for the night? Like you said, we at least have the now. We should take advantage of it.”

“Lotor, I can’t. You know I can’t. Keith would notice if wasn’t here at night.”

“You can’t be sure of that. You often wake up before him, and if he awakens in the night, just tell him you were still dancing,” Lotor says. “And regardless, would it really be so bad if he found out? Aren’t you tired of keeping this a secret from him? You know he wouldn’t betray us to anyone.”

“It’s not that,” Allura says. “I do wish we could tell Keith. With him so close by all the time, we barely have any time together, just the two of us.” She sighs. “But you also know him as well as I do. He is my dearest friend, but you know how bad of a liar he is. If someone asked him directly, they’d see the truth plain on his face.”

“Yes, but that’s only if they asked him. And where would they get the idea to do so, when no one else would have to know?”

“…I’ll think about telling Keith,” Allura says. “When we return to the Institute. But before then, we need to remember to be careful. There are eyes everywhere around here.”

“May I at least get a goodnight kiss, then, before I leave?” Lotor asks.

“You may,” Allura says, and Keith can hear the smile in her voice now.

Lotor leans down, Allura getting on her tiptoes to press their mouths together. And this time Keith is so startled that he doesn’t remember to stifle the sound of his surprise.

“Did you hear something?” Allura says as they break apart, looking over her shoulder at the room.

“I’m not sure…”

Allura detangles herself from Lotor, turning properly around to look towards the bedroom. Keith quickly slips out of the crack so as not to be seen, pressing his back against the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible. “Keith? Is that you?”

Keith swallows, feeling his hands begin to sweat. He wonders if he could get away with just slipping back into bed and pretending to have been asleep all along. But Allura is also right; he’s a terrible liar, and always has been. He always gets too nervous to keep his words straight and ends up revealing himself. And if either of his friends confronted him directly about this, they’d figure out the truth easily enough. They know him too well for him to hide anything from them. Not to mention if they were going to tell him soon anyway, what is the use to pretend he doesn’t know?

He’s just about to detach himself from the wall and step out, when Allura draws the door open, making him jump. She turns on the lights as she comes in, momentarily blinding him.

“Keith,” she says. “How long have you been awake?”

Keith swallows, feeling a flush of shame wash over him. He should really have just turned on his side and continued to sleep instead of getting up and listening in. “For a while.”

Lotor steps into the bedroom as well, shutting the door behind him. “Then I suppose it is safe to assume you heard us just now?”

Keith lowers his eyes to the ground. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I saw you, as well.” He raises his eyes, gaining a little confidence from a sudden wave of hurt washing over him. “How long has this been going on?”

Allura and Lotor exchange glances, before Allura turns to Keith again, looking grim. “For a few months.”

Keith nods, not sure what he’s supposed to say, if anything. He already knows why they didn’t tell him, so he can’t ask. He can’t bring himself to voice any disapproval either, because this is clearly something his friends already struggle with. The idea of them together, now that he’s seen it, honestly seems so natural. In retrospect, he supposes he should’ve seen the signs; the long looks, the constant shifts to sit closer to each other, the shy little smiles they’ve been sharing. They clearly care for each other and at least if they were together, Keith would know he could trust them to treat each other well. And he can’t help but feel they deserve this bit of happiness and freedom for themselves.

But he also can’t help but think his friends are only setting themselves up for either heartbreak or betrayal; if not from one of them, then someone else. Allura and Lotor are both next-in-line for their respective thrones. For them to be together, one of them would have to abdicate, or they’d have to spend much time apart. And if they plan to continue their affair after they marry other people, it wouldn’t lead to anything good either.

It’s not Keith’s place to judge his friends, and he won’t. But he can’t quite bring himself to say ‘congratulations’ either.

“This isn’t something we rushed into,” Lotor says, sparing Keith the trouble of thinking up words. “We…simply began to notice a shift in our feelings towards one another. We know everything this means for us and to our countries, and we know our duty, but…”

“We also love one another,” Allura says, reaching to take Lotor’s hand, as if in support, giving him a soft smile. “And we cannot deny each other that, and can’t make these feelings just disappear.”

Keith licks his lips, pondering upon his words for a moment longer. “…So what  _ are _ you planning to do?”

“For now, we’re merely trying to enjoy whatever time we have,” Allura says softly. “We can at least have this window of opportunity, before duty comes knocking. We don’t know what the future will bring, either. Perhaps with time we’ll return to just being friends. Or perhaps we can find a way for us to marry.”

Keith sucks in a breath, as he feels his body tense up and images start flooding his mind, passing over his eyes in a way that is familiar to him by now. He sees himself, with Lotor and Allura, speaking to King Alfor. Hears the words mixing together, but still knowing what they say. Knowing this is meant to guide him.

He releases a breath, letting his head drop to rest himself a little, the weariness over his vision overtaking him.

“Keith?” he hears Allura’s voice ask, and raises his eyes to meet her concerned blue ones. “Are you alright?”

“I had a vision,” Keith murmurs, still a bit out of breath as he straightens his back. He shivers a little, chilled in sweat in his thin night dress. “About you. If…if it comes to it, and you choose to want to marry, let me be present when you take the issue to your Lord Father, Allura. I believe…what I Saw might convince him to see your side of things.”

Allura’s eyes widen. “Really?”

“Well, he’s already talked your Lord Father over once,” Lotor says with a smile. “I believe Keith when he says he can do it again.”

Keith averts his eyes, feeling his cheeks flush. He quickly clears his throat. “Before then, however, you both will need to be sure that that is what you indeed want to do.”

“We understand,” Allura says, stepping over to Keith and taking his hand into hers. As Keith raises his head to meet her eyes, he sees her smiling warmly at him. “Thank you, Keith.”

Keith finds it in himself to return her smile. “What are friends for, right?” he says. “In the end…I just want both of you to be happy. Whatever you decide, I’ll do all I can to make sure you are. And I promise I won’t tell anyone about you either.”

“We appreciate that,” Lotor says, stepping closer, and Keith finds himself buried in a hug between his friends.

He snuggles into their warmth, smiling to himself. He’s still not sure exactly what he thinks of this new development in their relationship, but he meant what he said. So long as his friends are happy, he’ll stand behind whatever they choose to do, in the end. He knows he will.

…

_ To K, _

_ More troops come in seemingly with each passing day, ordering weapons and armor. I break sweat and feel the pounding of the hammer in my arms and back. It seems as though I have made over a hundred helmets and a thousand arrow heads. Every day I hear recruiters around the town, promising everyone who joins the army at least a loaf of bread and some soup every day to eat. I am thinking of putting my hammer aside and joining them as well. What do you think? _

_ There are strange rumors about the origins of all these preparations, however. People say the Empress has started talking in her sleep and her husband listens to those murmurs. Perhaps they are just the words of people wishing to badmouth Their Imperial Highnesses, or to find a reason for these sparks of tension. Atlas has never been a friend of Daibazaal, but the countries have been at peace for a hundred years. It must seem strange to suddenly be ready to go to war. Although many also say Daibazaal should have done so much sooner. The Galra are a warrior people, after all. _

_ I saw U a movement ago. He looked as weary with work as I feel. At least he gets his loaf of bread and then some. He was kind enough to share it with me. It really makes one long for a sword in my hand rather than a hammer to make them. _

_ Write again soon. _

_ From T _

…

Less than a movement after the night of the Ball, Keith, Allura and Lotor return to the Institute to start the new semester with new stripes embroidered on their collars. Now that Keith knows about the changed relationship between his friends, they barely seem to be inclined to hide their affections around him anymore. It is not that they do much with other people present, but they walk the corridors at school holding hands and sometimes cuddle under one blanket in the common room by the fire on the chilly nights. Before bed, they exchange sweet goodnight kisses, and Keith is fairly sure they do more when he’s not around. He makes sure to spend a little more time at the library and with the horses to give the two of them some time alone, and he announces his arrival so he won’t walk in and interrupt things he doesn’t particularly want to see.

Otherwise, for the first few months back at the Institute, nothing much changes. Keith and his friends attend class, do their homework, practice with swords together and go riding horses. He and Allura still do each other’s hair in the morning and before they go to sleep, and Allura Heals all of their wounds they get from swordplay as practice for her skills. Lotor tutors him in Magical theory and Keith and Allura draw together, giving each other critique and tips.

Then, one morning when the cold winds have just started and the leaves have begun to turn yellow, no matter how much Keith tries to shake Allura, she can’t seem to get out of bed. And as Keith presses in closer, he realizes she smells  _ different _ . There is a strong sweetness to her old scent, almost flower-like. And he remembers how she practically devoured her dinner the night before, and sees the thin layer of sweat starting to gather on her brow, as if by fever.

“Allura,” he murmurs, feeling her forehead with the back of his hand and finding it warm. “I think you’re about to enter heat.”

Allura only mumbles something into her pillow that Keith interprets as reluctant agreement.

“Wait here, I’ll go get someone,” Keith says, quickly pulling a morning robe over his night dress, steps into his shoes and heads out of the room.

He manages to find Miss Welma in her classroom and together with her, they manage to get Allura into her morning robe and walk her to the Heat Chambers in the opposite wing to the sleeping quarters without running into anyone. The others are probably at breakfast, which Keith is grateful for. He doesn’t think Allura would want anyone to see or smell her like this. So wobbly and disoriented on her feet, and with her scent starting to get stronger by the minute.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Miss Welma says as she and Keith help Allura settle down in the soft, padded room with a mattress as the floor, with various items set on the sidelines, including blankets and pillows for building a nest and a box of heat “aids” that make Keith blush. He’s seen enough of them in Health class.

“You’re in a perfectly good age to have your first heat, Princess,” she says, using Allura’s title for once, since they’re out of class. “You already know what to do. We’ve visited here before, you know where everything is, and how to ask for what you can’t find. You’ll be safe here.”

“Miss Welma,” Allura says, her eyes looking feverishly bright. “Could you bring Lotor here?”

Miss Welma blinks. “Are you sure that is a good idea? Lotor is an Alpha. He may not have had his first rut yet, but he is. Have you discussed with your parents about having a heat partner? Because otherwise…”

“It will be fine,” Allura says. “Please, bring him in. Don’t make me make it an order.”

Keith has a feeling her parents probably haven’t given permission for a heat partner, especially one Allura has already had at least one compromising situation they know about. But he doesn’t dare to say so until he and Miss Welma have left the heat chambers.

Miss Welma gives him an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t send Lotor in. I just had to say so in order for us to be able to leave. The Princess will just need to withstand this one time; she’ll take suppressants once it is over. They will help her handle things from then on.” She puts her hands on her hips. “But now, you should hurry up and get dressed before you miss breakfast entirely, or are late for your first lesson.”

Keith has to run back to the dorms to get dressed, and by the time he arrives in the cafeteria, it is nearly empty and he has to devour his breakfast in record time, forgetting his manners for once. Still, he manages to be just in time to his first class. It doesn’t make it easier though when everyone’s eyes turn to him as he enters, and how they immediately start whispering amongst themselves. Keith feels himself blush. He has a feeling they’re not just talking about him being late, because he can still smell remnants of Allura’s scent on himself. Still, he forces himself to act as natural as he can and march to his seat next to Lotor.

Even his friend gives him a strange look, though. Before he leans in and  _ smells  _ him. “You smell really nice today. Is that a new perfume?”

“No,” Keith hisses. “I’ll explain later.”

He hates that he has to face the feverish look Lotor gets when he tells him about Allura’s heat after class. And the nights he has to spend without his friend don’t make the time Allura is away any easier.

But the worst blow comes on the third day after Allura was taken to the heat chambers.

Keith is in his Practical Seeing class, reaching out with his powers for a thread of a vision as so often before. He’s not expecting anything special, even though he tries to ask from within himself more about Allura and Lotor and their possible future. But nothing new comes of it, at least for now, so he keeps reaching for other things to find. He thinks about the Institute and the people he knows there. He thinks about Coran and Allura’s parents, but nothing rises up from the confines of his mind.

Finally, he thinks back to Marmora, about his parents and Acxa and everyone else he knew there. And that is when he sucks in a breath and images begin flooding in. He hears the thunderous roar of debris and rocks falling in his ears, almost feels the weight of them on his back. He Sees the startled face of an Atlassean man with rugged features, now older and more worn down than he remembers them, just before he and the others with him are crushed in a blow of dust.

“Papa!” Keith cries out, his eyes snapping open. He can still hear the roaring of the mine in his ears, smell its stony dust in his nostrils. He can’t help the way his body begins to shake, as a chill of fear washes over him.

“Mx. Kogane,” Miss Hira snaps at him. “Is there something you wish to share with the class?”

Keith doesn’t respond. He can barely hear her, with the way Papa’s face just before he was crushed keeps playing across his eyes. And he knows he can’t let that come to pass. He has to be able to prevent it before it happens. He knows from how the vision felt that this was going to happen soon, perhaps within days. Keith would have to hurry to get the warning to Marmora in time. He can’t let that happen. What use is he, if his powers can’t even save his people? His own Papa?

He doesn’t even think. He simply gets to his feet, grabs his bag and rushes out of the classroom without looking back. He can hear someone shouting his name after him, most likely Lotor, but he ignores it and runs across the empty corridors of the Institute towards the backdoor outside. As an older student, he has access to the doves living in the dove house on the grounds to send messages. He hasn’t used them much, still preferring to send his letters via Coran but now there is no time to waste. The message has to reach Marmora as soon as possible.

Keith doesn’t stop until he’s right by the dove house, only then digging into his bag for a pen and a notebook, hastily ripping up a page and writing a short note of warning.

He’s reaching for a bird in the cage when Lotor reaches him, breathing heavily. “Keith, why did you run out of class? What’s the matter?”

Keith’s throat constricts and he barely manages to say, “Papa and others…they are in danger. I Saw them…in the mines.” His hands shake as he does his best to attach the note on the leg of the dove. “It’s going to collapse on them.”

Keith barely hears Lotor gasp in a breath, before his friend steps in to help him steady his hands and tie the note.

“Fly to Marmora, and fly quick,” Keith begs his only hope, holding the dove in his hands and pulling him out of the cage. “Only you can save them.”

He releases the bird into the sky, watching it fly away until it disappears into the clouds. He feels Lotor wrap him into a comforting hug from behind, only then realizing how chilled he had become. How much he’s shaking.

“We should return inside,” Lotor murmurs. “You’ve done all you can for now. It wouldn’t be good for you to catch a cold, out here without a coat.”

Keith can only nod, feeling numb and blank as he allows Lotor to start leading him away from the dove house.

…

_ Dear Keith, _

_ I am sorry to tell you your message arrived too late. The ceiling of our largest mine caved in and caused the death of your father and ten others who were there with him at the time. Your mother, sister and myself were thankfully spared. _

_ We are preparing to hold the traditional midnight funeral pyre in the morrow. Because it would be too risky for anyone to go to the mine to look for the bodies, this time around that means setting fire to what remains of that particular mine. We will give them all headstones to commemorate them. You can be assured we will show your father and all the others the respect they deserve so they can peacefully step into the higher realm. It is the least we owe them. Your father may have been born an Atlassean, but his life and death both made him as much of Marmora as any of us. His loss weighs on us as much as the others. _

_ In the meantime, it is more prudent than ever that you do not let yourself be distracted and focus on your studies. This loss has put all of us in a more precarious position and we need to be able to utilize the weapons we still have for our cause. You are at the forefront of that. Therefore, you must keep going as normal. It is the best way for you to honor your father’s memory and that of the others who perished with him. _

_ Take care, Keith. _

_ Your Godfather, _

_ Kolivan of Marmora _

…

Keith sends at least one bird every day, knowing some of them might be lost on the way for one reason or another. He has nightmares of his vision, even after Allura has returned from the heat chambers. If she is angry over Keith not arranging for Lotor to be there with her, it is soon forgotten in the face of Keith’s worries. She slips into bed with him to reassure him when he can’t sleep, and that, at least, helps a little. Her familiar warmth comforting and her new scent – like the surface of the lake in summer sun mixing in with that of wildflowers – is reassuring even though it is still something he has to get used to.

With the help of his friends, Keith is somewhat able to keep up with his schoolwork and even manages to not get detention for leaving class in the middle. But as soon as Kolivan’s letter arrives, bringing the grimmest of all possible news, any hopes and desires for being able to maintain his studies leave Keith.

Time seems to become meaningless. Most days he can’t even get out of bed, and if he can, he can’t eat without having to rush to the bathroom to throw it all back up soon after. He cries all the time, even when he doesn’t mean to. Even the smallest things set him off. He falls asleep multiple times a day with tears in his eyes, feeling numb and like a cold hand is squeezing his heart at the same time.

His friends try their best to get him up and eat something, but most of the time it doesn’t work. Keith doesn’t feel hunger, or strong enough to do anything but lie down and sleep. Besides weary, all he feels is the heavy weight of grief and guilt. Guilt for failing Papa and everyone else. Why couldn’t he have seen what was going to happen earlier? He knew something bad was going to happen, yet he let himself think it was just about King Alfor ambushing him or about Allura and Lotor’s relationship. How could he let himself believe that? Why did his powers fail him like this? Why did he even See what he Saw, if he wasn’t going to be able to stop it after all?

His guilt is worsened by not being able to do what Kolivan asked of him, and continuing to study. He knows he’s falling behind at school, but the thought of going to class just feels unbearable and he can’t get himself to rise up from bed. Any efforts on days he knows he can’t manage only end with more tears slipping out.

“Keith, please,” Allura says to him one day, though Keith wouldn’t be able to say which one, or how much time has passed since he found out Papa wasn’t in this world anymore. There is a touch of desperation in her tone, her scent souring with worry and sorrow as she sits at his feet on the bed, Lotor sitting in a chair nearby. “Tell me what we can do to help. I can’t bear to see you like this, but I don’t know how to help you. So just tell me, what can we do to make you feel better, and I promise I’ll make it happen.”

Keith swallows another burst of tears, because he knows what he wants. But he also knows asking for it would be selfish, and filling his request would be almost impossible right now. And yet…

“I want to go home,” he finds himself murmuring, as more burning tears slip down from his eyes, falling across his nose on his pillow. “I just want to go  _ home _ .”

He sees Allura nod at him, though his vision is blurred. “I’ll send a word to Coran. We will get you home. Don’t worry about anything, we’ll make all the arrangements, and we can get going during the break for the Celebration of Life.”

For some reason, what Keith doesn’t wonder about is how they are going to do that with only two movements to reach Marmora and return. Rather, all his mind can focus on is, “ _ We _ ?”

“I’m coming with you,” Allura says, firm and determined. “You shouldn’t be alone right now, and this will be your first time back in Marmora in over eight years. I want to be there to support you, and to finally meet your family as well.”

“I would offer to come as well,” Lotor speaks up. “But I doubt I’d bring much joy into their grief. I shouldn’t disturb them during this time.”

Keith nods a little into his pillow, knowing Lotor’s words to be true, and thankful he doesn’t have to point it out himself. But he also manages to smile, if only just a small one, for the first time in many days at Allura, his heart warming with gratitude and affection towards her. “Thank you. For everything.”

Allura gives his legs a pat. “I promised I’d stand by you once. I’m not going to break that promise now when you need me the most.”

“Just…” Keith murmurs. “Pack warm. It is cold on Marmora, especially in the heart of winter.”

“I know,” Allura says, giving him a soft smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Minor character death (Keith's Dad and ten other people of Marmora in a mining accident).
> 
> Anyone who figures out what the second letter is about/who it's from gets a cookie 🍪.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you noticed I had upped the chapter count again last time. That's because chapter eight had to be split. Here's the second part of it, which got a lot bigger than I was planning 🤪. Enjoy, it's an emotional one!

Allura’s promise and the plans she shares about the upcoming journey to Marmora seem to be enough to settle a bit more life back into Keith. At least so much that he is able to eat without always throwing up, even if he can’t manage too much food and everything tastes like wood in his mouth. He is able to somewhat keep up with his homework when he and his friends do it together. With Allura dragging him out of bed in the morning, he is even able to be present at classes, although most of what he hears feels like it goes in one ear and out the other in the next instant. But it is still a relief to learn he won’t have to completely repeat the semester because of his absences. Not all of the investment his people, Coran and everyone else has put into him has been wasted.

Still, it is more than a huge relief when the end of the fall semester approaches, and Keith and Allura start to prepare for their journey across Erran. Allura’s plans for them to reach Marmora in as little time as possible include taking a boat ride from Altea to Olkarion and continuing forward from there with rented carriages. Traveled this way, the journey to the Isle would be cut much shorter than it was when Keith first came to Altea. But it also required special permission from the Olkari to travel through their lands; ones Keith and Coran didn’t have access to the first time around. As the Crown Princess of Altea, Allura has more negotiation power than just the King’s advisor, and was able to get them the permit to use the river.

Keith couldn’t be more grateful that she was able to do so, and did so for him. He knows it can’t have been easy, even if she refuses to speak of what she had to do to get them the permit. That’s why he refuses to utter even a word of protest about getting on a boat on an open river for that long. He only has to remind himself that it is only thanks to Allura’s efforts that, if they only stay on Marmora for a few days – enough to rest a bit and spend at least some time with Keith’s family to mourn – they should be able to return only a movement into the new semester following the break.

Therefore, on the last day of school, Allura and Keith make sure they’ve packed enough warm clothes and other things they might need, stay long enough for the ceremonies for the Celebration of Life to end, and say their warm and tearful goodbyes to Lotor. Because Coran is present, he and Allura can’t kiss goodbye, but Keith can tell they want to by the longing looks they exchange. He feels a stab of guilt for having to tear them apart like this, but he also knows he can’t tell Allura to stay behind now. At least Lotor won’t have to return to Daibazaal, even if his friends won’t be in Altea, having been invited to house sit for Coran while he’s away.

Once Lotor has been put into a carriage to take him to Coran’s home, Allura and Keith climb aboard Coran’s automobile. The driver takes them to the harbor at the root of Vine River, where board the biggest ship Keith has ever seen. He and Allura have a cabin to themselves to share, with comfortable beds and their own bathroom. The accommodations are much nicer than he expected – even if he probably shouldn’t be surprised, given he’s travelling with a Princess – although the room is admittedly a little crowded with the two beds.

Unfortunately, even the nicest room he could possibly have does nothing to ease Keith’s stomach on the boat, as he ends up feeling nearly as nauseous as the first time he took a much smaller boat across the sea from Marmora. As a result, he spends most of the river journey in bed, much the same as he was just after he found out about the accident in the mines. He finds himself crying more again too, the dam breaking again now that he’s no longer required to remain strong and keep going.

Allura sits with him as he weeps and sings and soothes him until he falls asleep. She even manages to get him to eat and drink something occasionally, and there are a few instances where it doesn’t immediately all come back out. Keith is grateful for it. He knows he’s lost weight in the past months and that he must look terrible, given he wasn’t all that heavy in the first place. All his clothes are too loose on him now, his shoulders, sides and knees look even bonier than before, and his already practically non-existent chest has nearly disappeared completely. He doesn’t want to go home looking like Death has taken him and then spit him out.

The river road may have sped up their journey, but Keith is still more than relieved when they disembark and are able to continue onwards by a horse-drawn carriage. Travelling may still be uncomfortable with how much time they spend sitting in vibrating and occasionally bumpy seats, but at least the discomfort of it is more familiar to Keith. And they are making a good time on the road, as they also avoid stopping as much as they can, doing their best to sleep in the carriages rather than staying at a city somewhere.

In the busy harbor city that has sprung up with the bridge leading to Marmora, they rent out horses to ride across the sea with. It is a relief to know Keith won’t have to cross that part of the journey in the way he did going to Altea, and he has to admit the bridge is impressive with its stony, sturdy and wide build. Although the sea wind is chilly and biting, even in the furs they’ve bundled up in, Keith almost enjoys the ride across. The air smells familiar now and the wind in his hair feels like a greeting. His heart pounds as it slowly hits him how close to home he is.

Indeed, slowly from behind the mist of the sea that seems to seep into Keith’s bones in a way he hasn’t missed, the mounts of Marmora begin to come into view. And as he, Allura and Coran ride their horses closer, Keith starts to even make out two figures waiting at the end of the bridge. As more of them comes into view, Keith’s breath catches and he starts sweating cold beneath his layers, recognizing them. Time has barely seemed to touch Kolivan, looking as serious as ever. And Mama, as beautiful as Keith remembers her, though even as she sees him, her smile seems strained and weary.

As they get closer, Keith tries to look around, but it seems the two are the only welcoming committee they’re getting today. The thought feels colder than a splash of the sea water around him.

As soon as they reach the end of the bridge, Keith nonetheless is quick to dismount his horse, never taking his eyes off Mama, drinking her in after all these years. He thinks her cheekbones aren’t quite so sunken in as they used to be thanks to the aid Keith has been sending them, and their clothes look to be in better condition and appropriately warm. Grief and winter have left her pale, and with bags underneath her eyes. Eyes that glaze over, as she runs and comes to meet Keith halfway, wrapping her into his arms. He sucks in her familiar spring-like scent, shuddering with sudden relief at being able to experience it again, and burying himself into her warmth. Tears burn in his eyes, both out of joy of seeing her and from sadness of knowing he’ll never hug Papa like this again.

“Oh, Keith, my sweet kit,” Mama sighs into his hair, before leaning backwards enough that she can look him in the eyes as she cradles his face in her hands, a few tears spilling onto her cheeks. “Look at you, so grown up now. How beautiful you’ve become.”

Keith finds no other word to say than, “Mama,” but it seems enough because Mama gives his head a kiss and pulls him back into her arms.

“Coran,” he hears Kolivan say, watching him approach the rest of his party over Mama’s shoulder.

“Hello, Kolivan,” Coran says, warm but grim in tone. “We’re sorry for all your losses. Including yours, ma’am.” He nods towards Mama, and Keith feels her nod in return at him.

Feeling he should say something too, Keith slowly, gently detangles himself from Mama’s embrace, looking her in the face before gesturing at Allura. “Mama, Kolivan, may I present my dear friend, Crown Princess Allura of Altea.”

Mama does her best impression of a curtsy, which isn’t too terrible, considering. “We are honored to have you as our guest, Your Highness.”

“Please, call me Allura,” she says, shivering a bit at a gust of wind that passes by. “I am here as Keith’s friend, to show him support, not as a Princess.”

Mama manages a soft smile at that. “Then, it is wonderful to finally meet you, Allura. Keith has told us so much about you, and I want to thank you as his mother for being his friend through all these years.”

“He has been just as much a friend to me, I can assure you,” Allura says, returning Mama’s smile, though her lips are starting to look a bit ashy from the cold.

“We should continue towards Regent Castle,” Kolivan cuts in. “The sun will set soon, and it’ll get cold.”

Coran takes the reins of the horses, starting to lead them forward, Kolivan falling behind to walk with him. Keith can hear them exchange whispers about something, though he can’t make out what, as he and Allura follow behind Mama.

Keith can hear his friend murmur, “ _ This  _ is not cold?” under her breath, causing him to stifle a snort.

He steps to walk beside Mama, taking the opportunity to ask the question burning cold with a mix of curiosity and hurt at the back of his throat. “Where’s Acxa?”

“She is still down in the mines for the day,” Mama answers. “I’m afraid Kolivan and I were the only ones we could spare from work. We have nearly a dozen fewer people working now, but the demands from Daibazaal only keep increasing. We can’t afford to fall behind any more than we already have since the accident.”

Keith feels his throat close up, the wind rushing the tears burning in his eyes. “Mama, I’m sorry,” he manages to croak out, his voice coming out strangled and broken. “I sent the message as soon as I Saw what would happen. But…”

Mama wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him against her, secure and comforting. “No one blames you, Keith. You know yourself that this was not the first time we’ve lost people down in the mines. We’re just glad you’re here now. We’ve all missed you so much.”

Keith swallows down his words of doubt. At least Acxa doesn’t seem to have missed him all that much, given the lack of letters from her and that she’s not here now. As much as the people of Marmora may be in a rush with mining, the sister Keith knew and loved would’ve found a way to be present to receive him after eight, nearly nine, long years away. Even with the time he’s been gone, he’s still pretty sure he knows her well enough to tell there is something else going on with her absence.

…

_ Coran, _

_ I am not pleased to hear you are bringing Keith to Marmora. He should have remained where he is, where he needs to be for all our sakes. However, I also know I cannot stop you from coming, especially since you are already on your way here. No doubt you calculated that when you chose to write me this late. _

_ Since there is nothing we can do to stop you, we will be preparing for your visit. Send word when you know a more exact time for your arrival. _

_ I will say Keith’s mother is very happy he is coming. She looks forward to meeting you and Princess Allura as well. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for his sister. The loss we have experienced has hit her hard. She knew all the people we lost so closely and personally. One she knew particularly intimately, and that loss is cutting her especially deeply, I am afraid. There is much anger in her right now. I suppose it is easier to deal with than grief for her. She needs someone to blame and Keith has been an easy target. That is part of the reason why I did not want him to come. _

_ Nonetheless, it might be good to see you in person. We need to discuss our approach to the future regards to Keith and Marmora. _

_ We will talk soon. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Kolivan of Marmora _

…

The group of five reaches Regent Castle after roughly half an hour’s walk across the arid land that has barely changed in the time Keith has been away. But as Keith takes in the place he called home for the first five years of his life, he can’t help but think it looks so much smaller and more run-down than he remembers it. More vines seem to grow from the cracks in the walls that only seem to have become wider and longer with the past years, the stones the Castle is built from grumbling more and more with every cold rush of wind. And those never completely cease on Marmora.

Keith shows Coran to the small stables where he used to take care of Luxy and Ore, so he can put the horses to rest a bit. He tries to greet the two old animals, but Luxy tries to bite him and Ore simply ignores him in favor of his meal. It settles a cold feeling of loneliness in Keith’s chest. They don’t even recognize him anymore.

At least the mess hall doesn’t look too changed, aside from also seeming smaller than Keith remembers it. The fire left to burn and warm the room is also new, as wood was used so sparingly in his childhood. He can’t complain though; he and Allura quickly move to huddle close to it in their furs for warmth. The soup of onions and carrots that they’re served doesn’t hurt either, warming Keith down to the core, enough to almost not feel guilty for eating before the others have returned from the mines. It’s been a long and uncomfortable journey to get here so fast. The brown familiar rye bread never tasted so wonderful on his tongue, warm with melting butter and even a slice of meat and cheese on top, all small signs of added wealth to Marmora. He eats with gusto for the first time in movements, washing the food down with sweet goat milk, familiar tastes comforting on his tongue.

After he’s finished eating to his fill, Keith speaks up, “I’d like to visit Papa’s grave now. And the others’ too.”

Mama nods. “You know where the cemetery is.”

Keith nods back at her.

Allura cuts in, “Do you want me to come with you?”

“Thank you, Allura, I appreciate the offer,” Keith says. “But no. I think I want to be alone with him for a while.”

Allura gives a nod of her own in understanding, and Keith takes his leave, exiting the Castle and heading towards the back of it to the old cemetery. The place where all generations of Marmora have been buried since their first arrival on the Isle, and will be buried until the end of time, the Nine willing. Keith feels his throat constricting and his eyes burning as he looks towards the row of newer rocks hitched up at the back of the cemetery, in a neat line together. He shivers in a way that has nothing to do with the wind whispering in his ears as he approaches them. So many familiar names pass by his eyes, images of what little he can remember of their faces accompanying them.  _ Vrek, Regris, Ilun, Jami _ …

And there, in the middle, the most familiar name.  _ Kai Akira Kogane _ . And suddenly, Keith’s legs can’t carry him any further. He falls down on his knees by the carved stone, his tears falling hot and burning onto his cheeks but turning icy soon enough, biting into his skin.

“I’m sorry, Papa,” Keith sobs out between harsh breaths. “I’m sorry everyone. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

He doesn’t even have any flowers to leave on the graves. He curses himself for not thinking of at least to bring a candle. His red scarf catches in the wind, hitting his chin. He takes the fabric in hand, looking at it. His signature color. The color of fire, of warmth, of life and blood. And it has been put into this piece of clothing to protect him against the cold.

Without thinking any further of it, Keith quickly unties it from around his neck, moving to wrap it around Papa’s headstone and finishing it off with a tight knot. “I hope this will keep your spirit warm, wherever you are now. It’s not much, but it’s the best I can do right now.”

He sits there for a while longer, watching the scarf billow in the wind around the headstone. He’s not sure how long he’s been sitting there when it starts to snow. All he knows is his body is numb and the cold feels biting on his skin, but he feels frozen by it all and can’t get up. The melting snow mixes in with his icy tears. A part of him wonders what would happen if he just stayed here with Papa and the others forever, frozen in time and in the ground, forever together.

“What are you doing here?” a sudden voice snaps from behind Keith, making him jump in surprise.

He quickly turns around to see three people, none of them familiar, standing at the edge of the cemetery. The largest of them, with big furry ears and only one working eye, stands at the back like a wall protecting the other two. The one beside him has pink skin and something that looks like a multi-colored tail growing from the top of her head like a ponytail, with a slender and tall build to her body. The one closest to Keith has cool blue skin and darker blue short hair, with beginnings of black horns growing from it, sharp ears and stern dark eyes that glare icily in his direction. She’s carrying a few branches of heathers in her arms.

It takes Keith a beat, but then he realizes who she is. She has just grown so much he couldn’t put it together with the image of the child he remembers. But there is no mistaking who it is. She looks far too much like Mama for it to be anyone else.

“Acxa,” he breathes, before he even realizes it. “It’s me.”

“I’m not blind,” she says, voice steely, as she steps further into the cemetery. “Get out of the way. You shouldn’t even be here.”

Keith finds himself scrambling away from Papa’s grave, even as hurt pierces his heart, cold and sharp. He watches with a tight throat as Acxa crouches down to settle the branches of heathers onto Papa’s grave and on another one with one of the few names that he doesn’t recognize.  _ Narti _ . She smells like a proper Alpha now, of salty sea water. It is both a familiar and a harsh scent in Keith’s nose.

Once she’s done, as snow begins to gather in her hair, Keith feels his voice returning, strengthened by sudden anger in the place of sorrow. “Is that all you have to say to me after eight years?”

“I’d have even less to say if you hadn’t dared to mutilate and disgrace Papa’s grave,” Acxa hisses, straightening to stand up so she looms above him. “How dare you be here after what you’ve done?”

Keith swallows around the tightness in his throat, willing the burning in his eyes to go away. He can’t even say anything in his defense, because she’s right. But it still hurts to hear it from her.

“You should’ve been here,” Acxa continues. “You could’ve saved them. You knew it was going to happen. They didn’t need to end up the way they did.”

Keith licks his cold, dry lips. “…I didn’t want to leave.”

“You had a funny way of showing that, not coming home for eight years,” Acxa says, crossing her arms. She turns around, starting to walk away without another word. She walks past the two accompanying her, but they don’t follow her. Instead, they turn back to look at Keith once she’s gone, peering at him with curious eyes.

Keith feels shame and nerves burn at the pit of his stomach, and finds himself getting to his feet and approaching the two for the lack of anything better to do. He figures he should at least introduce himself properly. He’s let enough of himself slip away in the past months; he should start remembering how a proper lady behaves.

“Hello,” he says, ignoring how awkward he feels standing before the two strangers. “My name is Keith.”

“We figured,” the pink one says, giving him a smile. She smells faintly like rosewater, an Omega scent suited well for her appearance. “I’m Ezor. This is my mate, Zethrid.”

The word rings strange in Keith’s ears, and it only helps twist his feeling of displacement and loneliness in the already open wound.  _ Mate  _ is not a term often used on the continent of Erran, especially in the kinds of circles Keith has been thrust into in Altea.  _ Mate  _ speaks of love, of intimacy so deep and unified that it doesn’t belong to polite company. Keith is only used to hearing about  _ wives _ , _ husbands  _ and  _ spouses  _ where he’s been, even if most choose to also mate the ones they marry.  _ Mate  _ is only used for those who shamefully disgrace themselves and engage with someone they are not married to.

Nothing like here, where old customs still reign and being mated is considered the ultimate path for two people who have chosen to spend their lives together. None of the people of Marmora are technically free to marry, with no names of their own and no family names to add to. So on Marmora, they mate, and that is considered the highest height of love and partnership.

It hurts to realize how vulgar that word now sounds to him.

“Look, Keith,” Ezor says, crossing her arms, but with gentle eyes. “Don’t take what Acxa says too hard. She’s still processing grief and it’s leaving her volatile. She has honestly missed you, a lot. I don’t think a day has gone by since we’ve been here that she hasn’t talked about you.”

Now that Keith thinks on it, he recognizes the two names. His parents have written them in some of the letters he’s received from home over the years, speaking of them as Acxa’s new friends and close to her in age. If he remembers correctly, Zethrid and Ezor had come to the Isle a few years ago, having been caught after robbing the homes of multiple members of Daibazaal nobility.

Keith huffs. “She has a funny way of showing it. And I don’t just mean now.”

“She’s been hurting for a long time because you weren’t here,” Ezor says. “And she’s probably been more than a little jealous too.”

The thought of that burns bitter at the back of Keith’s throat, nearly hot enough to burst out in flames of rage. It feels so unfair that Acxa is the one who gets to feel jealous, gets to feel betrayed and wronged. She’s the one who got to stay home, with their parents and everything that was familiar. She’s the one who never wrote, never showed a sign that she missed Keith, who’d been thrust into a world where he’s nobody. Completely at the mercy of the whims of others, like some sort of puppet for them to play with in whatever way they see best.

But as soon as the rage comes, it also passes. He knows it is true he’s been granted far more privilege in life than Acxa has probably even dreamed about. And as much as Keith has been a pawn, Acxa hasn’t fared much better, slaving away in the mines since she was small.

They are both victims of their circumstance and the wants of other, more powerful, bigger people. And Keith doesn’t really have a right to complain. Not when he knows Acxa is completely justified in her anger. When he knows she is right in everything she says. Just because it hurts to hear doesn’t mean it’s not true.

“Can we go inside already?” Zethrid’s sudden deep growl cuts into his train of thought, Alpha to the core with the sour smell of displeasure radiating off her. “It’s fucking freezing out here.”

Keith manages a strained smile at that, and with a few words of agreement, the three of them start heading inside.

…

_ Dear Lotor, _

_ We have arrived safely on the Isle of Marmora. The journey here has been long and taxing, for more than one reason, more so than I ever anticipated. It is a grand relief to have finally reached our destination. I do not know when I will be able to send this to you; by the time you get it we might already be on our way back. Nonetheless, I could not wait any longer to put all my thoughts and feelings on the paper, since it is the best I can have right now, when you are not here with me. I simply cannot go a moment longer without speaking with you in at least some way. _

_ I miss you dearly, so much that it aches within me. Although I know we made the right decision with you remaining in Altea, it has been so difficult being on the road without you. I felt more alone than ever trying to keep Keith above the surface with how he has been faring all throughout the journey. Never have I known I could feel so helpless. As a Healer, as much as I have been taught to accept Death when it comes for us, I have always viciously fought against it. Yet for a while, I admit I was scared I would fail this time; the time that I could least allow myself to fail. _

_ It hurts to know this is not an ailment I am capable of mending. Only time can do that, and Keith himself. All I can do is to try and keep him alive long enough for that to happen and be there for him. Knowing that is all I am capable of in this case carves me so deeply it leaves me hollow. It has been horrible watching him waste away, not eating and constantly sleeping. I truly hope returning here will give him some sense of closure and help him heal. He is visiting his father’s grave at the moment. He wanted to be alone to do so. I hope I did the right thing by not insisting to come along. _

_ I hate myself for this as well, but I cannot help but also feel relieved to see how uncertain he seems here now. As though he does not quite fit in right anymore. You know I was afraid he would not want to return with me at all. I would not have been able to bear it. I cannot lose him, Lotor, in any capacity. Not my dearest friend, who already seems so far away with this awful, awful loss. _

_ I also hate to admit that Marmora is just as horrid as Keith has described it to us. The wind never seems to quiet down, and the stone walls of the fortress the people here call home and a castle gather cold moisture. At least the fires warm us a little while we are indoors. The idea of Keith wanting to stay here feels unbearable. As strong as he is, I do not think it would do him any good. It would just bring back the hunger and the misery, even if this brief visit might be what he needs to let go of his father. What he does not need, however, is to wallow in his sorrow any more than this. _

_ However, there is at least one other reason I am really glad to be here, aside from Keith’s well-being. It is something of a relief that this journey and my duty as Keith’s friend has taken me far away from Father’s continuous scrutiny. If this tragedy had not occurred, I cannot imagine he would not have wanted to bring up the fact that I have had my first heat, and what that means for my marriage prospects. He may have promised me a few more years until I must become engaged, but I do imagine reaching that particular milestone would still be significant in finding a match for me in his eyes. At least for the moment I have an excuse to avoid that particular conversation. It is a relief, because now more than ever I realize all I want is to be with you, always. _

_ You and I have a lot to talk about when we return. Hopefully it will happen soon. Until then, take care. _

_ With love, _

_ Your Allura _

…

Back inside, Keith finds many familiar faces occupying the mess hall. Some of them are more worn by time than others, but all cheerful and bright when he comes in, seeming genuinely happy to see him. They welcome and warm him up with hugs, and lift his spirits with laughter and pats on the back that finally manage to make Keith smile. Many thank him for the monthly allowance he’s been sending them, a few even toast in the honor of his return. As the others eat their dinner, Keith is allowed to try a little bit of the beer the adults are drinking. He tries his best not to show on his face how much more he prefers wine, knowing this is the best his people can afford and that it wouldn’t do, to seem ungrateful. Especially with Acxa occasionally coolly staring in his direction from the other end of the room where she has retired with her friends to sip on a mug of her own.

Still, as many familiar faces surround him, he can’t help but notice their numbers seem even fewer than a loss of eleven people would amount, especially with new arrivals to the Isle since he’s been gone. He can’t see Thace or Ulaz anywhere, for instance, and he’s fairly certain he didn’t see either of their names carved into any headstones at the cemetery. And surely someone would’ve mentioned it if they had passed, anyway. So where can they be?

He doesn’t get a chance to ask before the elders invite him to sit by the fire and listen to their stories again after such a long time. As many of them recall Papa and tell him how proud he was of Keith, grief once again begins to overshadow everything else. Thankfully, after they realize hearing about Papa only makes Keith want to cry, they move onto the stories he was told in his childhood. He gets to hear three of his old favorites, refreshing his memory of them, before Kolivan commands everyone to retire, since they still have to awaken early in the following morning to return to the mines again.

As Keith watches everyone except Kolivan, his remaining immediate family, and his party from Altea leave the room, he takes a deep breath to steel himself. He has had a feeling there would be a difficult conversation to be had sooner or later since he returned to Marmora. He just hadn’t expected it to come quite so soon.

But no matter. Perhaps it is best to get it over with. After all, it is not as though they have many days to spare and Kolivan will probably need to be down in the mines with the others at least some of the time Keith, Allura and Coran remain on Marmora. This may well be his only chance to make his opinion known.

Indeed, once the last of the others have gone, Kolivan shuts the heavy door and turns to Keith with a stern look on his face. “I’m not sure it was a good idea for you to come here.”

Keith squares his shoulders, narrowing his eyes. “Well, I am here anyway.”

“Your place is in Altea,” Kolivan says, voice even but hard and his golden eyes sharp. But Keith’s not five years old anymore. He’s stood up to people much more frightening and powerful than Kolivan. He’s not scared of him or his disapproval anymore. “That is where you are most useful at the moment.”

“Is that so?” Keith hisses. “Because to me it seems like if I had been here, Papa and the others would still be alive.”

“Whether that is true or not, what is done is done. They are gone,” Kolivan says. “And their passing has put our status in an even more fragile state. Our numbers weren’t strong to begin with, but now we’ve lost eleven of our best. And yet you dare come here and make things worse.”

“I’ll only miss a movement of school!” Keith cries, standing up from his seat with fury burning inside of him. “And I’m not just some tool for you to use for your cause! I couldn’t even be here for Papa’s funeral, the least you should allow me is to come visit his grave!”

“He is right, Kolivan,” Coran cuts in. “The child has lost his father. We can’t just expect him to be alright and keep going as though nothing has happened after something like that.”

“He wasn’t eating, back at the Institute,” Allura adds, her voice icy. “Nothing could make him better, except the hope of coming back here. That’s all he’s wanted for years now, but he’s denied himself because of the duty you’ve set for him. And yet you dare say he shouldn’t be here even now?”

“I can understand that you want me to finish school as soon as possible,” Keith hisses. “But I feel like that is not the only reason you didn’t want me here.” He looks Kolivan straight in the eyes, defiant. “Papa and the others who were with him aren’t the only ones who aren’t here. Where are Thace and Ulaz, for instance?”

Kolivan presses his lips together. “You don’t need to know that.”

“The fuck I don’t!” Keith screams, slamming his hand on the table hard enough to send a thunderous roar through the mess hall, for once not caring the slightest about his manners.

“I’ve been good,” he snarls from under his breath. “All these years I’ve been away from my home and my family because you told me it was my duty. Because you told me I could  _ help our people _ not to live in this constant misery. And I’ve done it all. I’ve gone above and beyond what has been asked of me since I was too young to understand what that all was about.”

“Keith-” Mama starts

Keith ignores her, instead continuing to focus a furious gaze towards Kolivan. “But I am not five anymore. I am fourteen. And I want to – no, I  _ demand _ – to know what is going on here. Especially since it probably concerns me in some way. I am not letting you sit around and wait to tell me until it’s too late for me to say no again.”

He takes in a gulp of air. “I will do my duty. I’ve already given my life to Marmora’s cause, and will continue to do so. All I ask is just a few days to spend grieving my father here, and to know what you are planning.”

Kolivan purses his lips, before heading towards the big table and sitting down a few seats down from Keith, setting his hands with fingers crossed on top. “Very well.”

Keith blinks, suddenly lost for words. He hadn’t expected it to be that easy. Kolivan gestures for him to sit back down, so he does.

“Daibazaal is preparing for war,” Kolivan states, his voice calm and collected as ever, as if Keith’s outburst hadn’t even happened.

Allura sucks in a breath. “Are you certain?”

“Quite. Things are chaotic enough there at the moment that we have managed to sneak in a few of our own into Daibazaal as infiltrators,” Kolivan says. “Ones who were born here, rather than criminals who arrived later in life. They send us frequent reports about the movements in Daibazaal.”

“Thace and Ulaz,” Keith murmurs.

“Among others.” Kolivan nods. “The last few years have been difficult in regards to harvests. Prices have gone up and many in Daibazaal have barely had enough to feed themselves for a while now. The cost of weapons has gone down during the continuous peacetime as well. With their main source of income being weak, the Galra of Daibazaal don’t have the means to buy what they need to feed themselves, nor is the land and the climate suitable for growing enough of it on their land.”

“In order to supplement their income to whatever degree they can, Daibazaal has also increased their demands for minerals from us as well,” Kolivan continues. “With Atlas building a bridge to our land without proper permission from Daibazaal, and with us heightening our direct trade with them rather than going through Daibazaal first…the Emperor feels threatened and pushed to a corner. He is not happy with Atlas for simply being a more fertile land with enough food for everyone, moreso for starting to poach in what he views as his territory.”

“So he is planning to invade Atlas for the crops, and as revenge,” Coran muses, his shoulders slumped with weariness Keith can hear in his voice. “Why pay for something when you can take it with swords and battle?”

“That is what we believe is his plan,” Kolivan says. “And if war comes – and all signs indicate it will – we will suffer for it along with Atlas, in one way or another. We’ve stepped beyond our set boundaries, and the Emperor won’t spare us. Either he will work us all to an early grave, recruit us for troops, or finally wipe us out.”

Keith swallows, suppressing a shiver. “So what are you planning to do in order to stop him?”

“What we need now more than ever, are allies,” Kolivan says, his voice calm and collected. “And the best way to form an alliance is through marriage.”

Keith doesn’t allow himself a sigh. He hadn’t really expected anything else. All he allows himself is a nod.

“That’s why we need to start planning for your engagement,” Kolivan continues. “We’ll need someone with wealth and power in equal measure to be your husband, so we can stand up to our oppressors and protect ourselves. Hopefully your gift is enough to raise your status in the eyes of society to look past your origins and poverty. We can thank the Nine for having Blessed you with looks that aren’t too unfortunate, as well.”

Keith lowers his eyes, the insides of his mouth tasting bitter. “…So I really will never return here.”

“You wouldn’t fit in here anyway,” Acxa’s voice nearly makes Keith jump, and her cold glare as he turns to meet her eyes from across the room makes him shiver.

“Acxa!” Mama scolds.

“Well, it’s true!” Acxa says. “Just look at him. He’s dressed in fine furs and clothes like some court maiden, and he’s delicate and skinny like one too. He’s never done a day of hard labor in his life. He fits in here about as well as his royal friend there.” She snaps her fingers towards Allura, before taking a sip of her mug of beer. “Face it, Keith, you don’t belong here. The only way you can be of use to any of us, is if you agree to spread your legs for some Alpha lord and give them heirs like Kolivan says.”

“Don’t talk like that to your brother,” Mama hisses.

Keith says nothing, just lowers his eyes down to his feet, biting his lip. He hates the way tears are starting to burn in his eyes and a mix of anger and sorrow scorch his throat. He knew that what Acxa says is true. Of course he did, but he hadn’t been prepared for how difficult it was to hear it from her. And to hear at the same time how much she doesn’t want him to return, he’s not sure he ever could’ve prepared for that.

Acxa ignores Mama’s words. She simply gets up from her chair, leaves her beer mug by the mantle of the fireplace, and walks out of the great hall without looking back. The heavy door slams hard behind her, and Keith can’t help but feel like it is also the only door in the wall between them shutting forever. He welcomes the warm touch of Allura’s hand as a sign of comfort, but it does little to ease the knot forming in his stomach.

“Coran,” Kolivan breaks the silence, as if none of that had just happened. “Have any of your inquiries about possible suitors for Keith resulted in any viable prospects?”

Keith turns towards his guardian, hurt stabbing him cold in the chest. “You’ve already been making inquiries?”

“Only unofficial ones,” Coran says, his eyes a little sad. “Kolivan asked me to, but I told him you were too young to properly get engaged yet. I still think you are, but I understand the circumstances have changed.” He turns towards Kolivan. “Nonetheless, although I can move forward with more serious arrangements, I think we need to wait a while before the engagement itself can take place. Keith hasn’t had a heat yet, after all, and I think his prospects will increase further once he has reached that level of maturity. Scents are a powerful thing, after all, and he’ll also appear more mature.”

“I’ll consider it, if it won’t take too long for his first heat to arrive,” Kolivan says.

“There is nothing to worry about yet. Keith is only fourteen, after all,” Coran says. “Although I think the recent shock of the loss he’s experienced may have stunted his growth for the moment. The fact he has lost quite a bit of weight likely hasn’t helped either.”

Kolivan looks over at Keith. “When you return to Altea, you better start eating properly again.”

“I will,” Keith says softly, shame burning in the pit of his stomach.

“I can also take him to see a specialist that will help him gain some extra weight,” Coran says.

Kolivan nods. “That might be for the best. He needs to at least look strong enough to carry children when we present him to any prospects,” he says. “Do you have any in mind so far?” 

“I have several,” Coran says, stroking his facial hair. “Before I tell you more about them, I must ask, however: how set are you on Keith marrying an Altean, specifically?”

“If there is a better prospect for him to be found elsewhere, we would certainly like to hear about it at least,” Kolivan says.

Coran breaks into a sly sort of smile. “How does the Second Prince of Atlas sound?”

Mama blinks, her eyes widening, as Keith’s heart jumps into his throat. “You’re joking.”

“I can assure you I am not.”

“Such a prospect would be impossible for us to gain,” Kolivan says. “For all of Keith’s virtues, he has no title and no wealth. A Prince, even one not directly in line to be King, is not a realistic suitor to even reach out for.”

“Don’t be so certain, my friend,” Coran says. “The Prince seemed to like him well enough a few summers ago.”

“You’ve already met him?” Mama asks.

“We danced together at the End of the Summer Ball once,” Keith admits, feeling his cheeks flush at the memory of the handsome Prince and how his warm, large hands felt on him. “His Highness was…kind.”

“Regardless, why would someone of such a high status want someone like Keith?” Kolivan presses on. “He must have plenty of more appropriate prospects available.”

“I’m afraid you are mistaken there, my friend,” Coran says. “Unfortunately, Prince Takashi’s health has always been fragile. Many consider it a miracle he has even lived for as long as he has. The King and Queen are having trouble finding someone for him because everyone is afraid any children born from a union with the Prince wouldn’t survive. And if the Prince himself passed before any healthy children could be born, such a match would be for naught, in the end.”

“I understand this means he won’t be an ideal prospect for you either,” Coran continues. “But I think he is the highest one you can reach, as you said. Not to mention that Marmora and Atlas have a common enemy now, and you’re already growing together into a partnership. I know for a fact the people of Atlas are worried about the troops and weapons amassing in Daibazaal, and they are looking for allies, just like you. A marriage between Keith and their Prince might be just what they need to solidify their faith in their country and royal family. If you can reach a consensus with the King and Queen on the marriage, it could be beneficial for all parties.”

Kolivan strokes his chin. “He  _ is  _ the wealthiest and the most powerful suitor we can probably hope for. Keith would become a Princess if he marries a Prince.”

“And you believe this Prince will also be good to Keith?” Mama cuts in. “That he is kind, and clever? Good enough for my child even without his title or wealth?”

“I can assure you, ma’am, that Prince Takashi is all those things and more,” Coran says. “He is a good lad, and I am sure he’ll look after Keith and any children they may have.”

“I don’t mind him as a match,” Keith says, even if he knows it’s probably not necessary. It’s not like his opinion matters much in this.

“So are we in agreement then?” Coran asks. “Because the sooner I can start sending out proper inquiries to set up the match the better for all of us. I am going to have to negotiate, I’m afraid, but not to worry. I am quite confident I can make this happen.”

“Very well, then,” Kolivan says. “Please do what you can.”

Coran nods, before turning towards Keith with soft, sympathetic eyes. “The process will take time and require things that might seem embarrassing or painful or humiliating to you. The King and Queen will likely do all they can to try and discredit you as a suitable match for Prince Takashi, so we must prove them wrong along the way. It will require much of you, but I ask that you be patient and trust me.”

Keith swallows, but manages a nod. “I do trust you. And I am willing to do whatever it takes.”

“I know you will,” Coran says, patting Keith’s shoulder, before turning back towards Kolivan and Mama. “Regarding that, while we are here, what are your wishes for when Keith does enter heat for the first time? What kinds of things will you allow him to ease the process?”’

Keith feels himself blush, a wave of hot embarrassment washing over him. He wishes he was allowed to leave already.

“You said it yourself that the Atlasseans will try to discredit him,” Kolivan says. “It would be good if he was completely untouched.”

“ _ No _ ,” Mama says, her voice and eyes sharper than Keith has ever seen them directed at his godfather. “That is something I won’t allow. I am putting my foot down on this as Keith’s mother. I will not have him go through heat without any kind of relief, his hands and feet tied so he can’t even use them to ease his pain. It is torture to go through heat like that. You can’t know that, Kolivan, but I do. And I won’t let you put Keith through that. If that is a line we’re willing to cross, we’re no better than Daibazaal and how they treat their Omegas.”

Keith swallows hard. He’s heard distant rumors about how the Galra Omegas of Daibazaal are kept as pure as possible for their future husbands, but he’d never imagined it would be quite so brutal as what Mama has just described. The thought makes a chill go down his spine and his stomach roll.

“…Very well, then,” Kolivan says. “He is allowed heat aid, but no partners. And no suppressants either.”

Coran nods, before turning towards Allura and Keith. “You two should head to bed. It’s been a long day for all of us.”

“I’ll show you to where you can sleep,” Mama says, getting up from her seat.

Keith follows her example in relief, even as all sorts of thoughts keep racing through his mind and he can’t seem to hold them all together. Perhaps some rest is just what he needs right now. He waits for Allura to stand with him, before grabbing his suitcase that Coran had brought inside, and then follows Mama out into the dark corridor.

…

_ To His Grace King Noriaki Shirogane of Atlas, _

_ His Excellency Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe, Advisor to His Grace King Alfor of Altea greets you with most courteous praise and exciting news. _

_ I have heard the most wonderful things about your second son, Prince Takashi. I understand him to be an intelligent, kind, generous and gracious young Alpha. However, it is to my understanding he is yet to be engaged to someone with the intention of marriage. _

_ My current ward, Mx. Keith Kogane of Marmora, is the most accomplished, studious, kind, loyal and beautiful young Omega. He and Prince Takashi have also met before during the End of the Summer Ball at the Altean Summer Palace that they both attended, and seemed to get on well. _

_ Mx. Kogane’s family and people have asked me to offer his hand in marriage to your son. In return, you would gain a most profitable alliance with the people of Marmora, with all their swords, minerals and people at your use against the looming threat of Daibazaal. _

_ Please do me the courtesy of writing back, and we can discuss the engagement further. _

_ Yours graciously, _

_ His Excellency Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe, _

_ Advisor to King Alfor of Altea _

…

Mama leads Keith and Allura to one of the bedchambers of the Castle, one that appears unoccupied. She helps them light a fire in the cold, damp room, making it a bit more comfortable, before leaving them to rest. Allura and Keith quickly open their suitcases and change into their nightwear, but the chill of the room forces them to wear more layers over them than usual even as they settle under the covers in bed. At least it feels good to not have to sleep in a carriage for the night.

Keith can hear the wind whistling in the corners of the room, the shadows of the fire dancing on the walls. It makes the atmosphere of the space feel eerie. He tries to shake away any thoughts of if this room might’ve belonged to someone who perished in the mines, and if their ghost might be dancing in the flames. He burrows further under the covers to avoid a shiver.

“Hey,” Allura murmurs beside him, her head lying on the pillow as Keith focuses his gaze on her. “Are you really alright with all this? The whole marriage matter?”

“I know it is what I must do,” Keith murmurs back. “And if we can really get the Prince for me, it is the best possible prospect I could ever have hoped for. And I liked him well enough, personally too.” He reaches beneath the covers and takes her hand. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

Allura nods against her pillow. “I just think it is a little cruel that they’re throwing this at you right now of all times.”

“It can’t be helped, as Kolivan said,” Keith says. “And it’s not like it is all going to happen immediately. I’ll have some time to get used to the idea.”

“Still,” Allura says. “I’m really proud of you though, for standing up for yourself like that. I hated how that Kolivan person was talking to you, like you were just an object to be used.”

Keith swallows. He can’t exactly argue with her about that, when he had felt pretty much the same way back at the mess hall. “I’m just glad he listened. I really lost my temper with him, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d just talked down to me like he did when I was a child.”

“You were right in what you said, and I think he knows that,” Allura says. “You’re not a child anymore. You deserve to have some say in what will happen to you.”

That reminds Keith of something he had wondered about before. “Did you know Prince Takashi was ill?” he asks. “Is that why he wasn’t a suitable prospect for you?”

“That’s part of it,” Allura admits. “You know it is difficult for us Alteans to have children. Our long lives mean fewer possibilities for producing offspring. If Father wants to ensure our royal line continues, he needs me to marry someone who I can most likely have children with. With Prince Takashi being both ill and not interested in women…”

Keith nods, understanding. Those prospects do not sound especially good for procreation. “…How does that affect Lotor’s prospects as your match?”

“Because of his Galra blood, he is likely to be more viable than an average Altean,” Allura says, her cheeks flushing a bit in the light of the fire. “And I am a Healer, so I also know ways to increase the possibility we will have healthy offspring. In that manner, Lotor is more than suitable.”

Keith turns to lie on his back, staring up at the ceiling, at the shadows dancing there. “It feels strange, talking about this,” he says. “Everything is changing so fast.”

“It is,” Allura sighs. “So many things are going on. And now a war is looming from Daibazaal…it is almost too much.”

Keith hums in agreement, for the lack of anything better to say. “Marmora has changed too,” he murmurs. “Or perhaps I have. I now feel so out of place here. And Acxa…Acxa’s all grown up now.”

“I know,” Allura says. “She’s really not at all like I pictured her. I hated the way she spoke to you.”

“She’s not the same person I left behind,” Keith sighs, keeping his eyes firmly up to avoid meeting Allura’s. “I don’t know what she’s been through while I’ve been away. And I wasn’t here when she needed me the most.” He feels a wave of emotion wash over him, as his eyes start to burn. “When they all needed me the most.”

He feels Allura reach out to touch his hand in comfort, squeezing it under the covers. “I wish you wouldn’t blame yourself over what happened to your father and the others.”

“How can I not?” Keith sniffles, trying to hold his tears in. He’s cried enough for a lifetime in the past movements. “If only I had Seen it sooner…”

“That kind of thinking leads you nowhere,” Allura says. “As a Healer, I know that better than most. One of the things we need to learn is that even with all our might, not everyone can be saved. Sometimes they can’t be brought in before it is too late, or you yourself might arrive too late. Sometimes the damage is just too great for even the greatest Healer to be able to do anything. Sometimes the illness is chronic and life-long and can’t be completely Healed, like with Prince Takashi’s case.”

She strokes the back of his hand with her thumb. “I know it hurts right now. I can’t imagine how much. But playing with ‘what-ifs’ isn’t going to help anyone, least of all you. Sometimes there just isn’t anything anyone can do, aside from maybe try and ease the other’s pain in their final moments. Death comes for all of us in the end.”

“Then why did I See it happen at all?” Keith croaks out. “And why couldn’t I See it before, though I reached out for it?”

“I don’t know,” Allura murmurs. “But you did do what you could to save them when you could. You shouldn’t blame yourself because it wasn’t enough. Perhaps this is all a part of some plan the Nine have. You shouldn’t feel like you did something wrong.”

“I can’t blame Axca for feeling like that, though,” Keith says. “I can’t blame her if she doesn’t feel the same about me as she once did either. I don’t feel the same about anything I did back then either.”

“I’m sorry,” Allura murmurs. “I know how important she was to you.”

“She is still important to me. She’s my sister. Nothing can ever change that,” Keith says. “It’s just…different now than it used to be. We’ll probably never be close the way we were before. But I still want to do all I can for her, the same I want to do for everyone else here. Even if she might hate me now.”

“Keith, I’m sure she doesn’t hate you,” Allura says. “She’s probably just grieving, just like you, even if I’m not saying she’s right in taking out her feelings on you. She can’t have completely cut you out. I don’t believe that.”

“Thanks for saying that,” Keith says, managing to turn his head in her direction to give her a small smile, his chest glowing warm with affection for her. “Thank you for everything, Allura, really.”

“I just want you to be alright, Keith,” Allura says. “Because, I’m sure you already know…but even if your birth sister is cold to you right now…I’ve always thought of you as my little brother, too. You still have a sister. If…if you want one.”

“I’ve always thought of you as my sister, too,” Keith says, feeling his eyes burn as his vision of his friend grows blurry. “I know I have a family outside of Marmora as well. And for that I am so grateful. I could never have made it this far without you, Lotor and Coran.”

“You’re my dearest friend,” Allura murmurs. “You’ve never let me down. Any effort I’ve worked into our friendship, you have returned. You will go far yet, Keith, I just know it. You don’t need to even become a Princess for that.”

Keith snorts, even as a few tears slip out of his eyes onto his cheeks and his pillow. “That thought still feels strange to me.”

“I’m sure you’ll get used to it,” Allura says. “And just think. It’ll mean we’ll be equals for real.”

“I won’t be the Crown Princess though,” Keith says. “Nor do I particularly want to be.”

“Perhaps not, but I know the people of Atlas will love you. You know the difficulties of the poor better than anyone, and you will still have a tremendous amount of influence,” Allura says. “Prince Takashi is close to his brother. Once Prince Ryou becomes King, I am sure he’ll listen to input from both of you. And you have already proven yourself to be very persuasive.”

“That’s a scary thought,” Keith says, burrowing further under the covers. “I’m not sure I want to be that powerful.”

“I know you’ll be great,” Allura says. “I think this is your destiny, Keith. This is what your Protectors meant you for. This is where your powers were meant to lead you.”

Keith swallows, pressing himself into the pillow, biting the inside of his mouth for the lack of anything to say.

“But let’s not dwell on that now,” Allura says, giving his hand another squeeze. “Coran is right, it’s been a long day, and an even longer journey. We should get some sleep.”

Keith nods, watching her close her eyes. Before he does the same, he gives a quick prayer for strength to his Protectors, and promises to himself to study more in his Politics class and on the art of ruling, and to try and recall what the Altean Council Members said in all those meetings he’s attended with Allura. Just in case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time we'll hopefully meet our beloved Prince again 😙. If I don't have to split things again 😅.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed the chapter count has gone up again. I had to split this one once more after all 🤪. But I'm almost done editing the second half of this, so I am aiming for updating already next week! But you'll have to wait for our Prince until then I'm afraid 😅.

Keith only stays on Marmora for three days.

The more time he spends in the place he once called home, the more he realizes how well he doesn’t fit there anymore. The days on Marmora are long for him without anything to do, with everyone down in the mines from before he wakes up until late in the evening. Keith tries to do his part for his people by feeding the animals the way he used to, helping with chopping for the cooking, bringing in wood, and keeping the fires blazing and warm when the others are out. But even with Allura and Coran to keep him company during the day, the empty echoing walls of Regent Castle have never felt colder and lonelier around Keith. He mostly avoids the place entirely by sitting at his father’s grave for as long as he can every day, trying to process his mourning and grieving while he can. But even while he himself might not care he may freeze, Allura eventually comes to find him and take him back inside to warm up and eat something.

Even the merriment when everyone finally returns from the mines feels hollow. The way Acxa still won’t speak to Keith and only keeps glaring at him from the other side of the mess hall makes him feel isolated from everyone and everything. As much as he loves all of his people, it can never be the same without her presence and affection. And the more time Keith has to clearly take in the faces of the others better, the more they also seem foreign now; aged by the hardship and sorrow beneath their loud toasts.

The chill of the Isle settles so deeply within that Keith feels as though he’ll never be warm again. There’s little to warm him in his loneliness. That’s why when the day to depart for the journey back to Altea arrives, it is almost a relief.

Keith hates himself for feeling like that, and he does weep when he hugs Mama goodbye for the second time in his life, and again when Acxa doesn’t show up to see him off. The only small comfort he has is the fact that Keith knows Allura and Coran were equally, if not more, miserable on Marmora. They are just not used to the cold and darkness of it, not to mention the modest food that is all they have to offer.

Besides, as Kolivan says, returning to Altea and keeping up with his studies is the best thing Keith can do for the moment. Papa is gone, but Keith can’t let that drag him down and keep him from completing his duty any longer. Not when the best way to honor him and everyone else who perished is to work for the betterment of all his remaining people. And Keith swears silently to himself that no matter how embarrassing, now matter how painful, he’ll do everything asked of him. Everything that he can do to honor their legacy. That is the only way he can keep calling Marmora his home anymore; otherwise it is clearly as lost to him as Papa.

The thought fills him with bitterness, but he swallows it down. He can’t afford to be any more selfish than this. He can’t allow himself to wallow in grief and self-pity. Not when so much is at stake. Even if it may mean he’ll never get to just be himself, and live out his own life as he wants to. Even if it means he’ll never be home again.

The journey back to Altea is as long and harsh as the one to Marmora, possibly more, since Keith, Allura, and Coran have barely had time to rest between the two trips. Keith sleeps through most of the trip out of sheer weariness, both on the carriage and on the boat. But he forces himself to finish a plate when food is offered to him this time, knowing he must start putting weight back on. Allura gives him some tea that helps with the nausea on the ship, and he manages to keep most of what he eats down. It is also reassuring to know she has written to her Lord Father to warn him about Daibazaal’s intentions for war, just in case.

They finally reach Altea on the ninth night of their journey back. Coran drops Allura and Keith off at the Institute and they immediately head for the bathrooms. Marmora’s coldness and the lack of stops on their journey gave them few chances to wash properly. A good soak as they thoroughly wash each other’s hair is just what they need to ease the aches of the road before they drag themselves up the rest of the way to their sleeping quarters. Keith falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow, comfortable and warm in the familiar bedroom.

The next morning, it is a struggle to get out of bed. Keith’s whole body hurts from the long time spent travelling. Allura doesn’t seem to be faring much better, judging by the hisses of breath she sucks in when she stretches her back. But with a bit of mutual encouragement, and the ritual of doing each other’s hair, they manage to make themselves presentable and head down to breakfast. Lotor lets out a cry of happiness; he doesn’t even seem to care if anyone hears as he spots them at the cafeteria. He immediately takes Allura into his arms, lifting her up and spinning her around as she laughs, before embracing her tightly. At least he remembers not to kiss her in front of everyone. And once she’s on her feet again, Lotor pulls Keith into their hug with them. And Keith finally feels warm again.

For a few days afterwards, everything feels almost normal again as life settles back into routine. Lotor helps Keith and Allura catch up with what they’ve missed as the best he can, Keith does his best to eat as much as he can, and the three of them spend time together. Keith also slips out to care for the horses once in a while, having missed the gentle animals in his time spent away from them, first because of the overwhelming grief and then because of his trip, but also so Allura and Lotor can have some time alone together to catch up. He knows they must’ve missed each other, and he still needs some time to process his own emotions, so he’s grateful for the chance to escape to the stables once in a while. And it seems his friends also have a lot to talk about indeed because they’re always deep in conversation when he returns to their company.

Then, a movement since their return, on the first day they have free from classes, Coran comes to fetch Keith to visit the specialist he talked to Kolivan about.

The specialist doctor is an Omega woman of roughly Coran’s age, with purple Altean markings that match her graying purple hair, and wrinkles at her temples and the corners of her mouth. She introduces herself as Doctor Malla, and immediately comes off as very no-nonsense when she proceeds to tell Keith to strip. And although Keith thought he had prepared himself for embarrassment, he still finds himself flushing heavily with shame as she takes his measurements around his chest, his belly, his waist and thighs. Afterwards, she asks him many questions about his diet, his general health, his hobbies, and a little bit about his parents’ health. Keith has to swallow hard before he can talk about Papa, but he manages to answer her. Afterwards, she weighs him and takes his height, comparing them with the records gathered at the Institute over the years.

“You are underweight, that much is true,” she says afterwards. “But there is nothing to be too concerned about. The problem has only been caused by sudden loss of nourishment and we can fix that easily enough. Otherwise you seem to be quite healthy.”

She begins writing something down on a piece of paper. When she’s done, she hands it to Coran. “Go to an apothecary and ask them to prepare a tea mixture based on the instructions I’ve written down.” She turns to face Keith. “Drink a cup of that tea with breakfast and during afternoon tea every day. It will restore your appetite and give you vitamins and nutrients. At the same time, it will wash away toxins from your body, make your skin, hair, and nails healthy, and bring color to your cheeks and lips. It should also ensure the improvement of your fertility, so you’ll likely have a heat within a few month. Believe me, if you drink this tea, even a Prince won’t be able to resist you.”

“Well, that is precisely our goal,” Coran says with a cheerful smile. “Thank you for your help.”

Doctor Malla nods. She goes through her drawers, taking out another piece of paper and handing it to Keith. It appears to be a chart of some kind.

“You can use this to keep an eye on your weight gain personally, if you take your weight every week,” she says. “Come see me again in a few months’ time with the chart, and we’ll go over your progress. You can also come earlier if you need anything else.”

The first batch of tea bags prepared according to Doctor Malla’s recipe is delivered to Keith that same day, just in time for afternoon tea. He takes it with the usual biscuits, grateful that it doesn’t taste terrible, even if he’s never quite gotten into tea the same way some of his classmates have. The brew smells vaguely of berries, and it goes down well enough once sweetened further with honey.

At first, Keith barely has time to keep an eye on any effects the tea might have, even though he does as Doctor Malla told him and begins weighing himself weekly and marking the results down in his chart. With school getting back into full swing, and already being a little behind from the late start to the semester, Keith finds himself swamped for some time. He focuses on his studies more diligently than ever, making sure to pay special attention in his Politics class and brush up on his knowledge on royal etiquette. If there’s even a slight chance he might become a Princess, he needs to do his best to not make a fool out of himself in front of his possible future in-laws and people.

Keith also begins to study up on the Atlassean royal family with more fervor than before, from books and old newspapers. He wants to have at least some idea of what he is in for, although he’s well aware nothing except spending time with them will give him a full picture. He reads up on court fashion and etiquette typical of Atlas, and he learns that King Noriaki was known as a great swordsman and horseback rider in his youth, a knight among knights as a Prince, but has stepped back from such pursuits upon becoming King. He seems to have gained a fair bit of weight along the way, but he is a proud man and father, personally teaching his sons how to shoot with a bow and arrow. Stability is important to him, and he is no fool either, preferring diplomacy when it can be found without swords and the money required for war. Many consider his move to avoid a possible conflict within his own borders by unifying the two branches of the Shirogane family, so his Queen’s family would cease in their pursuit for the crown, one of his best actions as King to date.

For her part, Queen Rina appears to be a very formal, stiff sort of a woman. She is involved in multiple charities and often seen in public walking among the people and bestowing her kindness upon them. She is popular amongst them even if her smiles are few, and she’s also known to be a devoted mother. She talks of her sons a lot wherever she goes, although Prince Takashi is infamous for appearing in public very rarely. Keith has a feeling it probably has something to do with his poor health. It is never mentioned in any source out loud, although much speculation exists, so it appears the royal family is trying to keep the illness under wraps. It wouldn’t do for the royal family to show any weakness, after all, because it would mean weakness within the country of Atlas itself. But clearly the Prince’s frailness is known at least in the circles of their peers, if he’s having a hard time finding a wife. An open secret, only kept unsaid out of politeness.

However, Crown Prince Ryou’s presence in the papers is infamous in a completely opposite way to his twin brother. Out of all the members of his family, he appears the most in gossip magazines, always seeming to be involved with trouble or a scandal of some kind. He has a reputation as a bit of a player; it is said that the reason he enjoys travelling around his country so much is to meet his mistresses, of which he is rumored to have one in every city. The latest publications, however, seem to bring up the same person time and time again, a young slender Omega with short brown hair and soft light brown skin. His identity isn’t mentioned in a straightforward manner anywhere, much the same as Prince Takashi’s health. But most speculate he is the youngest son of the Alvarez family, a minor house from the Southern region of Atlas. There are even photographs for comparison, and as far as Keith can tell, the guesses don’t seem too far off.

Between all of that, it takes Keith over a month to really realize the tea’s effects on his body. But one day he simply looks at his breakfast tray, realizes it is packed full with just about everything the Institute’s cafeteria has to offer, and that he’s been eating like that for a few movements now, like his stomach has lost its bottom.

And with the help of all the food he’s been eating, by the time the snow begins to melt and the sun starts to come out with the start of spring, Keith can barely recognize the person staring back from the mirror. Doctor Malla wasn’t exaggerating in her promises. He’s finally starting to look more like a marriageable Omega, with his chest and his hips filling out, his cheeks aflush and his skin glowing and healthy. There even seems to be a shimmer of a sort in his eyes and his long dark hair feels soft and smooth to the touch, something Allura also comments on when brushing and braiding it for him. He is still slender, and his weight is within normal bounds, but he looks…healthy. Alive.

But as much as Keith knows his weight gain is not only good for his constitution while also beneficial for the cause of his people, he finds he can’t quite find pride in his new looks. Having been skinny and awkward up until now, he knows very well that he’ll never really reach the natural beauty and grace of true Princesses. Princesses like Allura, who seems to shine loveliness from within herself. As much as he may try to mask it with beautiful clothes, good manners, and being well-read, at his core he’s always going to just be Keith of Marmora. He doubts he’s ever going to stop feeling like he’s faking everything, like he could be worth something and be thought of as beautiful without all the work put into him.

No Prince would’ve looked at him twice, the way he was before he started taking the tea. And now Keith just feels like a stranger in his own body on the best days. On the worst, he feels like a broodmare being fattened up to be sold. And yet, because it is his duty to be like this, he keeps praying to Life every night. His prayers for visions from his youth have been replaced by hopes that his Protector would allow his body to bear fruit and enter heat, so he won’t ruin everyone’s plans for him. He needs to be able to carry children for Prince Takashi, no matter what. Especially regardless of how he himself may feel about having his body transformed to be ready for that.

He visits Doctor Malla for a follow-up visit soon after, and she also provides him with a clean bill of health. She deems him perfectly normal and even above average for an Omega his age, writes a report on him, and tells him to come back for another visit after he’s had his first heat. Keith tries to take some comfort in her pride and joy in his improvement, instead of letting himself feel hollow over how empty reaching his weight goal feels, or how nerve-wracking it is to wait for his first heat to finally arrive. Even Lotor had his first rut a few movements ago.

It is almost summer when Keith finally wakes up from a vivid, heated dream with his night dress clinging to his skin with sweat and his skin tingling, trembling even with the slightest touch of the fabric and the sheets. Especially on his chest that feels heavy and aching. As he shifts, he feels the moistness sloshing in his underwear in a way that is too much for it to just be sweat, and the spot between his legs aches in a way that he’s never known, not even after a long ride. His head is swimming and his breathing comes out labored and heavy, loud even in his own ears. Everything around him  _ smells _ , from the wood of the floors to the sweat-covered linens, and it makes him swallow down nausea. Even the slight ray of sunshine through the curtains pierces like a dagger in his eyes. The colors of the world around him are too bright, and he has to close his eyes to try and keep away a headache.

He snaps back to attention as he hears Allura shuffle in her own bed, the rustling of her sheets grinding at his temples. She opens her eyes, looking up at him from her pillow. “Keith, what is it? Did you have a nightmare?”

“I…” Keith croaks, his throat painfully dry. “I think I’m in heat.”

Allura takes in a quick suck of air, before jumping to sit up. “I can smell you,” she says, getting up and hurrying to pull on a robe. “Wait here, I’ll go get someone.”

Once she’s gone, Keith allows himself to settle back down on the bed, letting out a long breath of relief. As uncomfortable as he feels physically right now, having his heat finally arrive is a relief, deep down. At least now his potential engagement has one less hindrance in the way.

Most of the heat is a blur of sensations and new feelings; ones of desire, touch, and longing. Keith can’t even remember being taken to the heat facilities; he just finds himself there at some point during a more lucid period in time. Everything he’s been taught in Health classes seems to leave his head, too. It is more out of sheer instinct and  _ need  _ that his fingers find out what to do to ease his discomfort, and how his hands eventually reach out for the heat aids when they alone can no longer satisfy Keith’s drive.

Even then, though, the pleasure feels hollow and cold, lonely as it is gained alone and without another’s touch. It is enough for Keith to wish for someone to be there with him, and momentarily forget why he can’t have that. He weeps himself to sleep often, overwhelmed, lonely, and spent.

He’s not sure how much time passes. He only knows it does by the way his hands begin to hurt and how someone occasionally comes in to make sure he has some water and something to eat. He’s weary and his head is clouded over, and he just wants this to end already. There’s little to no pleasure in even the heat aids anymore, just mild relief from the discomfort. Keith groans, feeling almost numb as the current device he’s using vibrates inside him. He doesn’t know how long he’s been in here, without anyone to talk to or offer him a kind touch. All he has is himself and these mechanical things to try and get him through this. Without Mama speaking up for him, he wouldn’t even have that. And for what?

As if summoned, the image of Prince Takashi flashes over his eyes, looking the same way Keith remembers him from nearly two years ago at the Ball. With his charming smile, kind voice and big warm hands that held Keith gently and securely at the same time. He even recalls the cute way the Prince’s dark hair curled with sweat and he finds himself sucking his lower lip inside his mouth. His thoughts pass on the way Prince Takashi said his name, the way his hand covered all of Keith’s back, and how he lifted him up like he weighed nothing. He imagines he is here with him, the one who touches Keith, the one who wants to give him pleasure, to make his heat easier on him.

Keith cries out, climaxing with tears in his eyes and wetting the bedding beneath him. Then everything goes black.

When he wakes up again, his heat has broken.

…

_ To His Grace, King Noriaki Shirogane of Atlas, and Her Grace, Queen Rina Shirogane of Atlas, _

_ Your most humble servant, Lord Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe, Advisor to His Grace King Alfor of Altea, greets you. I write to you with the most wonderful news that my protégé, Lady Keith Kogane of Marmora, has entered his first heat. He has therefore reached the physical maturity required of an Omega ready for marriage. _

_ Addressing your concerns from our latest correspondence, I am attaching with this letter copies of the certificates from Lady Keith’s appointment with Omega Health Specialist, Doctor Malla. As you can see, Lady Keith has made tremendous progress, and we all admire how his beauty only seems to increase with each day. I have also attached a copy of the chart Lady Keith himself has been keeping on his weight gain over the past months. _

_ The additional fact he has now entered heat also ought to indicate he is completely healthy and capable of carrying children. However, I do plan to have him take another visit to Doctor Malla once his heat breaks to take a few more tests on his fertility and current health. You can rest assured I will send copies of the results of those tests forward to you as soon as I have them. _

_ There is no need for you to worry. I am sure Lady Keith will bear Prince Takashi many children and be a good wife to him. I also wish to remind you that the mines of Marmora are possibly the richest ones in all of the known world. Once free from Daibazaal, your common enemy, the proud people of Marmora will be able to pay a sufficient dowry for the marriage of their Omega in the form of swords, soldiers, and armor. _

_ Considering all I have stated above and in my previous correspondence to you, I believe it is paramount we at least allow for the young ones to reunite now that they are a bit older. It would be a good opportunity for you to be reassured of my protégé and additionally to meet his guardians, myself included, to discuss these matters in person. I believe your Princes’ eighteenth birthday will take place next winter. Would that not be a sufficient place for all of us to meet? I am sure there will be other prospects alongside Lady Keith at the celebrations, so our presence would not be out of place there. Do you not agree? _

_ If you have any other questions or concerns, please present them to me in your next correspondence. I shall do my utmost to lay any worries you may hold for the match to rest. _

_ I will remain in waiting for your reply. _

_ From the hand of, _

_ Lord Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe, Advisor to His Grace King Alfor of Altea _

…

When Keith comes to, it is to the uncomfortable wetness of his night dress from his own sweat, and the taste of water on his lips from the cup Miss Welma holds for him. Once he’s conscious enough to realize it, he drinks the liquid greedily. He’s slower with the fruit he’s offered, his stomach still in knots, but he can’t deny he feels better afterwards. Once his head doesn’t feel quite so fussed up, Miss Welma escorts him to a small washroom just beyond the heat chambers where Keith can rinse off the sweat and change his clothes. Afterwards, she takes him back to his room so he can get dressed properly in his uniform and head down for a proper breakfast.

Even though Keith knows only a few days have passed since he was taken to the heat chambers, the whole world seems different now. As he walks through the corridors of the Institute that he thought he knew well enough by now, he’s almost dizzy with how many new smells enter his nose, how much stronger all the ones he knew from before feel now. The colors seem brighter too, as if thrown into relief by the late spring sunlight. The food at the cafeteria smells so delicious it leaves him suddenly ravenous. Allura’s scent of a lake in summertime hits him right in the pit of his stomach with its comfort as she hugs him, and Lotor’s gunpowder smell is both attractive and familiar in his nose.

The new vibrancy of the world follows him around, sharp in his nose wherever he goes. Allura says that it’s normal for it to feel strange at first and that he’ll eventually get used to it. Keith honestly can’t wait; the constant influx of new scents is starting to give him a headache. He mostly escapes to the library to study for the final exams, the scent of books more soothing now than ever for him. He’s grateful his friends join him sometimes, helping him catch up on what he’s missed while he was away. It is almost a relief to have something to distract him, so he doesn’t have to think about his heat or what it means now that he’s had it. He’s glad to be able to focus on school for a while rather than anything relating to marriage.

By the time the semester comes to an end, with Keith and his friends all getting good marks for their exams, Keith finds the scents of the world no longer bother him quite so much. He’s looking forward to the summer break to be spent at the Summer Palace as usual, and is quick to start packing his things. But before the day of their departure can properly arrive, Keith receives a letter from Coran. One that he supposes he’s been waiting for at the back of his mind this entire time. He is to visit Doctor Malla again now that he has had his first heat.

On the last day of school, Keith says a brief goodbye to his friends, who settle into an automobile to take them to the Summer Palace. He himself climbs into a rented carriage to take him to his appointment with Doctor Malla where he’ll also meet Coran, and afterwards they will travel to the Summer Palace together from there.

Doctor Malla greets Keith with a friendly enough smile and a handshake, before she takes his measurements, height and weight again, marking them down in her chart.

“Now, this next part is going to be somewhat uncomfortable,” she says. “But your guardian has asked me to make sure you are fertile. For that, I will need to examine you more thoroughly.”

Keith raises an eyebrow in question, feeling himself flush and he’s suddenly glad she asked Coran to wait outside. She continues, “Internally.”

Keith swallows, his throat growing dry as a wave of hot embarrassment washes over him. He suppresses a shudder and steadies himself. He can’t let his discomfort get to him. He made a commitment, and now he has to see it through. “Very well. What do you need me to do?”

“Take off your undergarments and lay back on the bed there,” she says, gesturing towards the bare bed on the other side of the room. Keith quickly slips out of his unmentionables and sits down on the edge, his legs dangling off the end of it.

Doctor Malla comes to stand in front of him. “Now, open up your legs for me, and try to relax. Breathe deep in and out, if that helps.”

Keith swallows again, but does as he’s told as Doctor Malla pulls on gloves. He bites his lip as he feels her  _ push  _ inside him, uncomfortable and tight, going deeper than he thought. He does his best not to clench up and to keep his pelvis relaxed, even as she causes him some pain that makes his eyes sting. The use of her fingers feels nothing like what Keith remembers from his heat, only clinical and uncomfortable. He just hopes making love with someone else isn’t always like this, with pleasure to only be found in a haze and when left to his own devices.

Finally, Doctor Malla takes out some cotton swabs, taking some samples of swipes from inside Keith, before sealing them up. Afterwards, she stands and begins removing her gloves. “There, we’re done,” she says. “You may put your clothes back on.”

Keith moves to do so in a bit of a hurry, relieved to be able to leave his appointment behind. He’s too embarrassed to even look at Coran during the ride to the Summer Palace, feeling humiliated that he must know what happened in Doctor Malla’s office. He’s never been more relieved to be reunited with his friends and able to put everything from the rest of the day out of his mind.

With the gentle sunshine of summer, Keith is soon able to put his discomfort behind him. For one, he is quickly swept away by the meetings he and Allura now take their time to join in on with King Alfor as often as they’re allowed to. There’s much talk of the looming threat of Daibazaal, and if Altea should also start preparing for war despite the Balmera Mountain range standing as protection between the two countries. Keith pays close attention to any news about the preparations in Daibazaal and Atlas both as much as he can. Sometimes, though, he and Allura are shut out of these talks “for their own safety,” according to the King.

At least the constant talk of war doesn’t seem to leave room for anyone to wonder about Allura’s marriage prospects as much. Any such matters will have to be reconsidered under the new, changed circumstances, which has put a pause on them for the moment. That much is a relief to all of them, though Keith worries that it may only be calm before the storm. The changed circumstances can also lead to desperate measures, and he can’t know what that may mean for Allura and Lotor and their future. After all, Keith also can’t help but notice the way people whisper and stare when Lotor walks past them at the Palace. No doubt his status as the Prince of Daibazaal is putting people on edge with the constant rumors and talk of approaching war. And it may not put Lotor in high regard as far as potential suitors for Allura go.

Keith glares back at everyone he catches in the act of whispering about Lotor, causing them to turn their eyes in shame, which he counts as victory. Lotor is not the one they should turn their suspicions towards. Lotor has proven that first and foremost, he’s loyal to Keith and Allura. He would never betray Allura’s country for a place Keith is fairly certain doesn’t even feel like home to him anymore. Lotor has no one he may wish to follow in Daibazaal, no one whose will he feels the need to carry out. In that way, he belongs back there even less than Keith does in Marmora.

Fury burns in the pit of Keith’s stomach at the thought that anyone would dare even consider the idea his friend could hold any kind of animosity towards or plan for the fall of Altea at all. Even more so when he knows what it might mean in the long run. The idea that his friends may be forced apart eats him up from the inside. If Keith can’t choose who he’s to marry, he at least wants his friends to have the happy ending they long for and deserve. Surely the Nine won’t be so cruel as to take that away from them?

The heavy atmosphere seems to settle over everyone at the Palace, making it difficult to breathe indoors, even more so than when Allura and her Lord Father were fighting. It leads Keith, Allura, and Lotor to spend most of their time at their cottage at the lake once more when they have nothing to do. And as much as Keith knows being at the meetings with King Alfor is important, he can’t help but be thankful for days like this one, when he can just sit outside in the shade of their tree, and work on a sketch of Allura’s profile as she stares out into the distance. Lotor occasionally reaches out to feed her grapes straight to her lips, and Keith gently scolds him for distracting his model, but he can’t get too upset. This is the only time the three of them have all seemed at peace in a while.

He’s almost finished with his sketch when he hears Lotor suck in a deep breath beside him and sit up from where he’s been lying down. At first Keith expects him to just move to give Allura another grape, but instead he gasps out, “Allura, I don’t think I can wait any longer.”

Allura turns her head, and before Keith can ask her to keep still, she breathes, “Lotor…”

Lotor shifts closer to her, taking her hands and looking into her eyes. Keith blushes, seeing the love and affection shining on their faces, again unable to stop feeling like he’s intruding.

“Allura,” Lotor says, sounding a little breathless. “From the first moment we met, you’ve been the most special, incredible, beautiful, wonderful Omega that I’ve ever known. Even without your title, in my heart you’d always be a Princess. We’ve been through so much together, and now things are growing more and more dire with each passing day. The country of my birth is preparing for war, you may be engaged to someone you don’t wish to marry after all, and in general, we cannot be sure of what tomorrow will bring. We may have dark times ahead of us, but you’ve always been my light and joy in life. And if you let me, I want to spend the rest of my days making you as happy as you make me every day just by existing with me. I know people are suspicious of me and my motives, and I want to give you proof to never doubt that I am yours.”

“Lotor, you know I would never-” Allura starts.

“Allura,” Lotor cuts in, putting his hand into the pocket of his shorts and pulling something out. A small velvet box. He lets go of Allura’s hands as she sucks in a sharp breath, Keith doing the same in his corner in unison with her.

Lotor places the little box in his palm, opening it. Inside is a beautiful ring with a large blue stone shining in the middle, with smaller white ones decorating its sides, all of them shimmering in the sunlight.

“Will you marry me, and spend the rest of your life with me, so we may never be apart?” Lotor asks, looking Allura straight in the eyes.

Allura’s eyes glimmer with tears, and she lifts her hand to cover her trembling mouth. “Yes. Yes, I will!”

Keith feels a few tears slip out of his own eyes as he watches Lotor take the ring with shaky hands and somehow manage to slip it onto Allura’s finger in one smooth glide. Once he’s done, they only share a quick smile between themselves before Allura practically jumps to kiss him and embrace him. They both roll around on the blanket, laughing and smiling and crying all at once. Keith averts his eyes as they lie on top of each other, giving them a moment of joy to have for themselves before he clears his throat, and they move to sit back up.

“I’m happy for you both,” he breathes, moving to hug them himself, one arm around one of them. “And I hate to bring the mood down, but what are you going to do? What is your plan going forward? You know that if anything, your chances of being allowed to be together have only decreased.”

“This wasn’t a spur of the moment decision, Keith,” Lotor says warmly but calmly. “We’ve been talking about this almost since you two returned from Marmora.”

Allura nods. “I was able to hold off any talks of marriage with Father, even with having had my first heat, by saying I needed to focus on you for a while, since you were in mourning,” she says. “And in some ways, it was true. Your father’s sudden passing and the knowledge that war may be coming helped both of us realize how short the time Life has Blessed all of us with is. How unpredictable it is. We understood that we didn’t want to waste any more time pretending we could ever be apart, when what we want is to be together.”

“We have been discussing the prospect of marriage between us seriously for the past months,” Lotor says. “We’ve looked at it from every side and talked things over, and planned for the future. And the more we talked, the more certain I became.” He takes in a breath, squaring his shoulders. “I am going to abdicate. I will renounce my claim to the throne of Daibazaal, and stay here to be Allura’s Prince Consort. If we do that, Allura can still be Queen and fulfill her dreams and her duty, and I will be considered a suitable match for her due to my status.”

“And you’re…alright with that?” Keith asks softly, a little hesitant. “Abdicating? Giving up your birthright?”

“You know very well that I barely have any ties left in Daibazaal,” Lotor says, serious but not grim. “It is merely the place where I was born. Truthfully, it holds very few good memories for me. I cannot even be sure if the Galra people would support my claim to the throne at the Kral Zera.”

He gives Keith a small smile. “Altea is my home. You two are my home, my family. I want to stay here with you, and be with the ones that I love. I want to marry the Omega of my dreams and be her husband, to stand by her and support her the best that I can. Any possible claims I may have to Daibazaal’s Crown mean very little next to all that.”

Before Keith can think up a response, he finds himself taking in a deep breath. His shoulders tense up, as images flood his mind in a way that is very familiar to him by now. Events that are yet to take place, a time that is ideal, incidents that will set other things in motion. A certainty, a feeling; a short vision passing him by in a rush of air he lets out.

“I think you should wait until my engagement with Prince Takashi is settled more certainly before you bring the news of the two of you to your Lord Father, Allura,” Keith says, the remnants of the images of his vision still swimming behind his eyelids as he blinks. “I believe I Saw that the outcome of what will happen between Prince Takashi and myself will also impact how King Alfor will react to your match. If my engagement comes through and is announced properly, then you might have a better chance of convincing him.”

Allura takes his hand. “Thank you, Keith. We will wait, then, as you say,” she says, smiling at him. “And you will be my Maid of Honor, when the time comes, won’t you?”

“That’s not fair, Allura,” Lotor huffs, playfully rolling his eyes. “I was going to ask Keith!”

“I know, that’s why I made sure to ask him first,” Allura chirps, grinning at him. “And didn’t you just say you would spend the rest of your days trying to make me happy? Having my dearest friend as my Maid of Honor at my wedding to the love of my life would make me happy.”

The adoring term makes Lotor’s cheeks flush, and he seems to concede with a crossing of his arms. “Fine. You can have Keith. But don’t blame me when my Best Man turns out to be someone neither one of us really likes.”

Allura giggles, and it is only that sound that seems to land Keith back into his body from where he’s fairly sure he astral projected into for a bit. His head is still swimming with confusion and affectionate warmth for his friends as he takes in the conversation that just happened.

“But…” he chokes out, his tongue feeling too large for his mouth, his eyes burning. “Shouldn’t you ask someone else more suitable to be your Maid of Honor? Surely I can’t accept such a coveted position, when I am just…”

“If your betrothal is fulfilled by marriage, you’ll be a Princess, remember,” Allura says. “And nonetheless, I wouldn’t care. You’ve been with Lotor and I throughout all of our journey together, the ups and downs of everything, and have never strayed from us or betrayed our confidence. I don’t want anyone else to stand beside me when we marry, supporting us at the start of our new life together.”

She pauses. “And I will pick other bridesmaids into my party from the appropriate group of court ladies, if that makes you feel any better. I am sure some of them will be insulted by not being chosen for the highest position, but that’s not something we should have to concern ourselves with. The marriage between Lotor and I will be an unconventional one in any case. Why should I not choose my own Maid of Honor when I also chose my own husband?”

That rouses a chuckle from Keith, and manages to bring a warm smile to his face. “If you’re sure, then…I would love to. It would be my honor.”

“Thank you,” Allura murmurs, pulling him into an embrace. Keith holds her in return, not letting the drizzle of tears wetting his shoulder bother him. Not when he’s crying too.

…

_ His Grace King Noriaki Shirogane of Atlas and His Lady Wife, Her Grace Queen Rina Shirogane of Atlas, _

_ Cordially invite you, _

_ To the Eighteenth Birthday Celebration of Their Twin Royal Sons, _

_ Crown Prince Ryou Shirogane of Atlas and Prince Takashi Shirogane of Atlas, _

_ On the 28 _ _ th _ _ Day of the Second Month in the Year XXX. _

_ Please be very welcome, _

_ And let us know how many of your party will be attending, _

_ By the 31 _ _ st _ _ Day of the First Month of the Same Year. _

…

The summer passes, and despite Daibazaal constantly gathering and training more troops and forging more weapons and armor, nothing drastic happens on any front. With Allura and Lotor’s engagement kept a secret, a sense of normalcy returns to their small group when Keith, Allura, and Lotor return to the Institute. It is a relief to leave the Summer Palace behind after another End of Summer Ball where Allura had to entertain Alphas whom she will never marry, all the while hiding her engagement ring in a necklace inside her dress. The only thing really troubling Keith is that without access to the meetings King Alfor has, all information he gets about Daibazaal’s plans and efforts for war is through newspapers.

He tries to write to Marmora to see if they know anything more, but all he gets in return are scolding words telling him not to write again. Reading them makes him feel foolish as well, aware he should’ve known better than to write anything precarious in letters that may be caught by unwished-for hands on the way. It just hurts to be left on the outside again, meant to just wait and prepare for his first meeting with Prince Takashi that is to take place on the Atlassean Princes’ Eighteenth Birthday Celebration over half a year hence. There, he’s meant to make a good impression on the Prince, while Mama, Coran, and Kolivan convince the Prince’s parents and hopefully finalize the engagement.

Keith has a second heat just before winter hits Altea in full force. The heat is a little less painful than the first one just because he knows what to expect better. Once he comes out of it, it feels like everyone has had whatever affirmation they needed that he is ready to be engaged, if not wed just yet, since his first heat wasn’t simply a fluke. Everything suddenly starts to become more real, getting kicked into gear.

Besides being swamped with schoolwork, on any days off from classes Keith has, he is whisked away for preparations for the meeting with Prince Takashi. Coran and Allura take him to see Allura’s personal tailor, rather than the one who has been making Keith’s clothes for years, so she can create a dress for him to wear at the Birthday Celebration. Keith feels a little bit weird not going to his usual tailor to get a dress for the biggest event of his life so far, being used to her work and not able to help feeling like he’s betraying her by going to someone else. But he has to admit that Allura and Coran’s reasoning for using Allura’s tailor instead is sound. She is more used to dressing royalty in a way that makes them look regal and grand without trying too hard, and that’s exactly how Keith will need to look for Prince Takashi and the royal family of Atlas. Like a Princess, beautiful and alluring, but not too overdone so he doesn’t come off as trying too hard or gaudy.

They try out different fabrics and colors and the tailor shows Keith her sketches and plans for possible dresses. It’s more effort than Keith’s ever shown towards choosing what he wears, but with Allura’s help and fashion sense, they are able to come to a conclusion on a beautiful deep red dress with black accents, flowing sleeves and a heart-shaped neckline. They will accentuate the look with silver jewelry infused with amethysts and purple diamonds to reflect the Shirogane family’s signature colors.

The fitting pieces are gifted to Keith on his fifteenth birthday and for the Celebration of Life, including a thin silver circlet and a thick collar, resembling the old-fashioned Omega collars unwed brides would wear up until their wedding night, when it would be removed by their husband. He also receives two pieces of jewelry for his hair; one to be put at the root of his hair that looks as though it’s been made of silver vines twisting together, and one for the end that looks almost completely made out of sparkling dark jewels.

Towards the middle of February, Allura, Lotor, and Keith pack up and begin their journey towards Atlas with Coran, Keith’s two friends also being invited to the Birthday Celebration for diplomatic reasons as representatives of their countries. 

Before they leave, however, Coran presents Keith with a set of white tablets. “Take these for about a week before the Celebration is to take place, and until we return to Altea.”

Keith blinks, observing the green little tablets. “What are they?”

“Suppressants,” Coran says, cutting in to continue before Keith can say anything, “I know Kolivan doesn’t want you to take them, but for this occasion, I think we need to make an exception. You’re still young and your heats are unpredictable. The stress and other high emotions, not to mention the presence of so many different people and scents may send your body into overdrive and result in an early heat. And it wouldn’t do for that to happen just before or during the Celebration.”

Keith couldn’t really argue with that, the mere thought of going into heat in the middle of the Birthday Celebration at the Royal Palace making him blush with shame. So he accepted the pills and began taking them that same day, continuing to do so when they left on their journey.

Because the route is faster, they once more take the road of the river, and Keith is not sure what makes him more nauseous, the boat or his nerves over what is about to happen. But once they move onto horse-drawn carriages on land, first through Olkarion and continuing through Atlas towards its capital of Kerberos, Keith also makes sure to properly take the time to take in everything he sees.

He didn’t pay as much attention the first time he travelled through Atlas as a child, and he didn’t pass through the same areas as now, when they’re entering from the South. But now he’s looking at this country with a whole new set of eyes. This is the country that, Nine willing, he will one day call home. Yet another country he’ll be thrown into like a piece of furniture switching owners. Keith can also tell the idea of war is weighing heavily on the minds of its people. Food is a lot more expensive now and the people more suspicious, even if they’re grateful for the money Coran spends to buy things their travelling party needs. But at least looking at Atlas makes Keith rejoice in its natural beauty and architecture. And it was once Papa’s homeland, so Keith does have that connection to it in his blood. Not to mention he looks mostly Atlassean, so he’ll likely blend in well enough.

They finally reach Kerberos, and stay at the same inn Keith and Coran stayed at the first time he was here. It is nice to see the place is still running and doing well, packed with people in a celebratory mood eating and toasting to the Princes’ health. Even if the common people won’t be joining the festivities in the Castle, they are hosting their own festival in the city, for which Keith sees decorations around town and about which he hears people talking. It all makes him wish he could join that party instead, because it sounds a lot more fun than a stiff meeting spent negotiating the terms of his marriage. But he knows better than to say that out loud.

Still, it is nice that Keith and his friends have a few days to take in Kerberos before the Birthday Celebration and get to indulge in the fun booths that have been set up for the festival. They play a few games, eat all sorts of different fried foods from all over Atlas and walk around the beautifully lit cobblestone streets. Kerberos isn’t quite as grand and modern, nor as bustling with new inventions and high buildings, as Oriande. The lights aren’t as bright and at night, Keith can actually see the stars. It’s something he’s always missed in Oriande, and it makes Kerberos seem a bit more peaceful, although the festival also makes it lively and full of people, celebrating all through the night. It is a city Keith would be proud to call home, even if doing so will also take him away from the place he’s considered his for so long.

Mama and Kolivan arrive two days before the Celebration for the Princes is to finally take place, Mama immediately coming to greet Keith with a warm hug.

“You look wonderful, Keith,” she sighs, taking in his appearance. “You’ve blossomed into a grand beauty. I always knew you would.”

Keith forces on a smile, and swallows down questions about Acxa. It is no use asking why she didn’t come.

After Mama and Kolivan are settled in and have washed up, Coran takes them shopping for something appropriate to wear from a pawnshop that they can return the clothes back to once they don’t need them anymore. The next day, when they have rested up from their journey, Keith takes the opportunity to spend some time with Mama, talking and sitting with her, and taking her around Kerberos. After all, it could very well be the last time he gets to do something like that before he marries.

“I am sorry you have been thrust into marrying like this, Keith,” Mama says as they’re walking the streets, pulling him close. “I always wished you could marry for love, the way I did.”

Keith swallows down any waves of pain thinking of Papa still brings to him. “I don’t mind, Mama,” he says softly instead. “I think Prince Takashi will be good to me. I like him well enough. Perhaps I’ll grow to love him in time.”

“Still,” Mama says. “I know life hasn’t been fair to you. You had to grow up too fast, take on far too much too early. Your life might not have become easy if you had stayed on Marmora, but at least we would’ve been together. And this kind of a choice would’ve been yours alone.”

Keith licks his lips, unable to say anything. It’s a thought he’s had several times for himself, too. “I want to help our people. Really, I do. I want to do my part.”

“I know you do,” Mama says. “I just wish it didn’t have to fall on you.”

“There’s no use regretting it now, Mama,” Keith says, gentle but forceful enough to let her know he’s not interested in talking about this anymore. “It is what it is. It is too late to back away now. So I trust you will play your role, and I will play mine.”

Mama doesn’t say anything for a while, simply pressing her lips together and seeming to get the message. “We should head back. It is getting late, and you have a long, important day ahead of you tomorrow. We all do.”

Keith nods, resigning himself to his fate, and allowing Mama to lead him back to the inn.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to HaroThar and PockyStix for beta-reading this chapter for me! This was the chapter I was most looking forward to, so please enjoy our beloved Prince once more :3.

When the day of the Atlassean Princes’ Birthday Celebration finally dawns, Keith is woken up by the sun. He’s still delirious from sleep when he forces himself to shuffle on some clothes as Coran fusses and rushes around him, gathering everything they will need for the day. The rocking of the carriage he is pushed into with Allura and Lotor only serves to make him sleepier. Keith only really starts to feel awake when he’s practically thrown into a tub at a bathhouse a short journey away from the inn. Older Omegas running the place start scrubbing at his skin so hard that his skin turns pink and he’s a little worried they are going to scrape it off him. Nearby, he can see Allura in her own tub getting a similar treatment, as well as other Omegas around them, all in their own tubs.

As one of the Omega aunties keeps using a sponge on the bottom of Keith’s feet, she and a few others debate over which scented oils and shampoos to use for Keith’s bath, how to wash his hair and whether to give him perfume. In the end, they settle on using a scented shampoo that reminds Keith of a summer breeze that they say will give his hair a beautiful sheen, but minimize the use of scent for his bath oils. They wash his hair by rubbing his scalp so hard it hurts, before finally dragging him out of the tub and rinsing him off.

Even in his completely soaked state, Keith is only given a few moments to dry off in a towel before it’s ripped away from him. He blushes as one of the aunties takes out a small bottle with scent-enhancing oil inside, puts some of the glistening oil on the tip of her finger, and places it first behind his ears, a drop on each nipple, and finally between his legs in a way that makes him shiver. He’s glad Coran was sensible enough to give him the suppressants. This treatment alone might’ve been enough to trigger a heat in him.

The other aunties get to work on his hair, blow-drying it as they begin to style it, all the while yapping away like big colorful birds about what kind of a hairstyle to give him. Arranging Keith’s locks takes at least an hour to complete. Most of it is settled into a long braid at his back,  but some is also arranged into his scalp as shorter braids that curl around his head like snakes,  until his whole head is a work of art. They finish the arrangement off by attaching his vine-like hairclip at the root of the braid, the jeweled one at the end, and attaching some pearls into the braids near his face.

Afterwards, the aunties help Keith slip into some fresh new undergarments and then into his new dress. It is just as smooth and airy on his skin as it is beautiful to look at, the aunties complimenting the color and how it will draw everyone’s eyes on him. Afterwards, Keith finally gets to sit down as the aunties start putting makeup on his face. He’s powdered up until he sneezes, his lips are painted red with rogue that matches his dress, his eyes lined up with dark brushes and further masked with a red sheen. A little bit of peach color is added to his cheeks, so he won’t look sickly, and to highlight his bone structure. Finally, the aunties put into place his silver collar and the thin circlet on his brow, and help him step into his high-heeled black shoes of fine velvet, soft fur and smooth silk.

And then a mirror is brought to Keith so he can see himself in all his dressed-up glory. He can’t hold back a short gasp when he sees himself. Or rather, sees the Omega staring back at him in the looking glass that he almost doesn’t recognize. Keith’s worn beautiful clothes before, even has had some makeup put on for important celebrations, but now…he looks like an adult, like a full-grown Omega, like…like a Princess. The lining around his eyes makes them pop, looking even larger than usual and the red of his mouth is inviting but not suggestive. The look isn’t as eerie as he’d expected, but rather simply adds to his natural looks, though he can’t say he minds the artistic touch of the red around his eyes, either. The heels make him look taller, hidden under his skirts.

He’s still taking this new image of himself in when he sees Allura approaching him from behind, visible in the mirror. He turns to give her an uncertain smile over his shoulder. She’s dressed in a beautiful, sleek golden gown, her hair done up equally elaborately as his own, with little golden stars glimmering in her bun and a matching golden circlet on her brow. Her eyelids glimmer with gold paint and her eyelashes shine dark and long, fanning her cheeks as she blinks. A soft rose red paints her lips and a gentle flush highlights her cheekbones, adding to her natural beauty and making her glow. Long white gloves cover her hands and arms, accentuated by golden bracelets and rings on her fingers. Her shoes, visible in the slit on her side, are long with golden vines snaking up her legs.

“Oh Keith,” she sighs, her eyes sparkling as she looks at him, her lips twisting into a smile. “You look so beautiful.”

“So do you,” Keith says, making room for her to look at herself in the mirror alongside him.

“Prince Takashi won’t be able to take his eyes off you,” Allura promises, moving to hug Keith from behind, meeting his eyes in the looking glass.

“Nor Lotor off you,” Keith whispers, hoping the aunties won’t overhear them.

They are given a few moments to snack on some fruit before they are told a carriage has arrived to fetch them. They put on their warm fur coats to protect them from the winter cold outside, Allura in white and Keith in black, and step inside the carriage, where the rest of their party already waits. Lotor looks handsome in his dark Altean-style suit and his hair tied back with a matching black ribbon, and his eyes grow huge as he takes Allura in, as Keith had suspected. His mouth falls open and he can’t seem to stop following her with his eyes, drinking in the sight of her like one dying of thirst. It’s not until Keith kicks him a little when the carriage starts moving, using that as an excuse for the others not to notice, that he realizes he should try and control himself.

Mama’s eyes shimmer as she looks at Keith, seeming at a loss for words seeing him dressed up like a lady. She looks beautiful herself, in a simple but elegant black dress with a golden collar underneath her open coat, a few bracelets on her wrists and her lips painted black to match her outfit. Kolivan has an Atlassean type dark suit with a shirt that has yellowed with time, but he looks nice enough as well. Coran is surprisingly dashing in his open navy-blue coat and white cravat, and of course wearing his signature white gloves.

Although the ride to the Royal Palace is short, it takes a while for their carriage to actually pull up in front of the main gates, because there are so many people trying to get in and they have to wait for their turn. It doesn’t help that the Palace is built on its own island and people have to make their way over one of the several bridges crossing the water surrounding it to reach their destination. Keith can’t help but think it would’ve been faster to just walk, but he supposed that would’ve made them look common.

By the time they finally get to disembark the carriage, it has started to snow lightly, and the lanterns lighting up the white-covered landscape are a grand help to the barely remaining sunlight. Keith allows Kolivan to help him down from the carriage so he doesn’t trip over his dress, taking in all the various people heading inside, all of them dressed finely with elaborate hairstyles and makeup, clearly wanting to look their best. Most guests appear to be Atlassean from different parts of the large country, but there are also a few Olkari representatives and some Galra members that don’t belong to Keith’s own group. Aside from several older couples, no doubt important members of nobilities, there are many young Omegas with their parents or escorts, giggling and whispering amongst themselves with excitement. Keith is likely not the only one whose hand is to be offered to one or both of the Princes tonight.

At the door to the Palace, Coran presents the guard with their invitations, and the guard guides them forward to where servants are working to gather everyone’s coats. Inside, there are even more people hustling and talking over each other, all their scents mixing together in a way that makes Keith’s head spin and nausea churn at the pit of his stomach. For once he’s grateful for the support he gets from his hold on Kolivan’s arm, letting his godfather guide him forward towards the main ballroom after they’ve left their outerwear behind.

“His Excellency, Lord Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe, advisor to His Grace King Alfor of Altea; Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Allura of Altea; and His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Lotor of Daibazaal,” the announcer at the door calls out to the enormous ballroom opening up before Keith and his group, filled with people.

The ballroom isn’t a very tall space, but it is beautiful, expansive and elaborate. A few large glimmering chandeliers hang from the ceiling, the walls are painted almost like artworks in of themselves, with the ceiling art complimenting them. Sliding doors that also serve as windows line the wall leading outside. The ballroom is packed with people, filled with the roar of their talk and music from the band playing on the sidelines, accompanied by the sound of shoes on the floor as people dance. Keith tries to not be intimidated by the beautiful Omegas around his own age that he sees dancing and chatting, telling himself he has nothing to be ashamed of. He looks fine, he walks fine. He just has to have faith in the mask he’s put on, and the others will believe it too.

“Leader Kolivan of Marmora, Mrs. Krolia Kogane of Marmora, and her son, Lady Keith Kogane of Marmora, protégé of Lord Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe of Altea,” the announcer calls out as Keith, Mama and Kolivan pass him by.

No one so much as looks up, but as they also don’t do so as more people keep rolling in and being announced, so Keith guesses it’s not really something that has to do with who they are. He focuses on searching the ballroom with his gaze, trying to locate the hosts of the evening. He quickly spots King Noriaki and Queen Rina towards the end of the room, paying homage to their roots in the Eastern parts of Atlas in their choices of dress, wearing matching colors of black, silver, and purple. Queen Rina looks beautiful in her elaborate, layered purple and white kimono, with long sleeves and images of silver cranes in flight in the fabric, even if her smiles don’t seem to quite reach her eyes as she talks to her guests. King Noriaki has somewhat puffy cheeks and something of a belly beneath his sokutai clothing, but he also looks tall, regal and handsome, and more friendly than his wife.

The band begins a new song and a few more couples step onto the dance floor to move with the music. Amongst them Keith recognizes Prince Ryou. He really looks a lot like his twin brother, except for the fact Ryou keeps his dark hair long and done up in a ponytail and appears to be growing some facial hair. He’s dressed in a suit similar to Kolivan’s, but his shirt is the royal purple of his House and his suit fits him a lot better, clearly custom-made. Diamond cufflinks glimmer at his wrists along with his silver rings, adding to the wealthy and elaborate look.

His partner is a slender young Omega boy with light brown skin, slightly darker short brown hair and blue eyes that match his extravagant dress that makes him look almost like he’s dressed in ocean waves. Prince Ryou is smiling at him, seeming to not be able to take his eyes off him, and the Omega gives him secretive smiles and heated looks in return. If the rumors are true, this must be Prince Ryou’s current mistress, Lance Alvarez. It feels ludicrous to think the Crown Prince would be so bold as to bring him here, to his Birthday Celebration, in front of all these people and dance with him so openly. Keith’s not sure if he should admire Prince Ryou’s boldness or be appalled by his lack of discretion.

He tries to search for Prince Takashi amongst the celebrating people, but doesn’t manage to locate him, no matter how hard he tries. It makes him feel strangely betrayed and heated with shame. He can’t help but feel like he’s being slighted, when he came here with the specific purpose to meet the Prince, and he didn’t even bother to show up. Keith doesn’t think not being able to locate the Prince has anything to do with the crowd; his intuition says the Prince isn’t in the ballroom at all.

“Should we go talk to the King and Queen?” he asks Coran as Kolivan leads him and Mama to join the rest of their group again by a table of snacks.

“Not yet,” Coran says. “Be patient, Keith. We mustn’t seem too eager. Just enjoy the festivities for now, and let us adults handle the King and Queen.”

Keith bites the inside of his cheek, but manages a nod, trying to swallow his bitterness. He’s never been too fond of formal occasions like this one, and being in a foreign environment surrounded by unfamiliar faces doesn’t exactly help put him at ease. The only relief he really has is that at least his friends are here with him, and they are indeed quick to try and distract him with food. Despite his nerves, Keith is easily persuaded, since it’s been a while since the fruit at the bathhouse.

As they’re eating, Allura is soon asked to dance by an Atlassean Alpha, so Lotor takes Keith for a spin. At least that is fun, although not long after, Lotor moves to dance with his beautiful fiancé instead, no doubt grateful to have a moment with her. Keith is left standing at the sidelines, sipping on a small glass of sweetened wine for lack of anything better to do as the adults discuss something amongst themselves in a different corner away from him.

“Hello there,” his attention is caught by a voice he doesn’t recognize. As he looks up, he meets the face of an Atlassean Beta around his own age, with auburn hair and hazel-brown eyes, light-skinned face dusted with freckles and wearing a pair of spectacles and a smile directed at him. He’s dressed in a deep green suit, holding out a hand for Keith. “May I have this dance, my fair lady?”

Keith feels his eyes widen despite himself. He wasn’t expecting anyone to ask him, least of all some Atlassean stranger. But he also has nothing to do for the moment and he doubts anyone will mind if he is polite and accepts the invitation, even if it’s not from his intended.

He puts his glass down and his hand in the Beta’s. “It would please me, my lord.”

The Beta smiles at him, pulling Keith along to the dance floor and putting him in a proper dance stance. “My name is Matthew Holt. You can just call me Matt, though.”

Keith blinks. “Matthew Holt of Greenoak?”

“Oh, so you’ve heard of me then?” Matthew Holt’s eyes sparkle with amusement. “You’ve done your homework, Lady Keith.”

Keith bites his lip, not sure what to retort. Matthew Holt’s father Samuel Holt’s name came up several times in his readings on the royal family. He is the personal tutor of the Twin Princes of Atlas and the Head of a House from the Southwestern parts of Atlas known as Greenoak. Matthew himself has often been seen accompanying the Princes at various events, known to the people as their friend since childhood, when he came to live at the Palace with his Lord Father.

“It wasn’t through simple coincidence that I found you, either,” Matthew Holt continues, leaning close to speak into Keith’s ear. “If you want to find your Prince, go out to the gardens in the back when this dance ends.”

He leans away from Keith without another word, simply starting to lead him in tune with the music. Keith follows his steps and guidance, dancing with him. He doesn’t say anything either. His head is swimming with far too many thoughts to speak. Why is Matthew Holt telling him this? Could it be some sort of a trick, to try and make him look foolish so the engagement won’t happen? Or is he really just trying to help? If so, why?

Matthew Holt provides him with no answers, only bowing politely after the song comes to an end, and then leaving Keith standing alone on the dance floor. He quickly moves back on the sidelines of the ballroom, watching the others begin to dance to a new song. On his own once more, left to simply wait while others dictate everything that happens to him. What does he really have to lose by taking Matthew Holt’s advice? The worst he can think of that can happen is that he won’t find Prince Takashi. That won’t really change anything, since he can’t find him in here either. And if anyone asks, he can simply say he wanted to get some fresh air, or look through the gardens.

Keith finds his feet moving, slipping out of the ballroom before he can talk himself out of it. He quickly fetches his coat and heads outside, heading towards the back of the Palace as instructed. He walks a good while, even starting to wonder if he’s lost or going the wrong way. Perhaps the gardens don’t even exist or are located somewhere else. Despite the fur cover of the insides of his shoes, his feet are nearly numb with cold from walking in the piling snow. Walking through the Royal Island makes him appreciate how much larger the Palace is than it seems at first glance. Aside from its several floors, it also has many wings on the bottom building, seeming almost like a collection of small houses. An entire village on its own island.

He turns another corner, and what he sees takes his breath away. The gardens of the Atlassean Palace are unlike any other he’s ever seen, but he likes it immediately. A large part of the grounds seem to be covered in water, though now frozen and covered in snow, judging by the arching stone bridges covering them. Many trees of various sizes also covered in snow surround the frozen lakes and rivers, and there are stones that look both natural and artistic by the shoreline. Only a bit of the noise from the merriment in the Palace carries outside, and with the falling snow and soft light of the lanterns, Keith can’t help the way a sense of peace settles over him.

And in the midst of the gardens, on a stone bench, sits Prince Takashi, dressed similarly to his Lord Father, although the top of his sokutai is silver-gray rather than purple. In dim light of the outdoors, he almost blends into the scenery, sitting so still and apparently so concentrated on watching the landscape with a serene little smile on his lips that he nearly disappears into it.

The sight of him brings Keith’s earlier sense of betrayal back in full force, burning angry at the back of his throat. How dare he be here so casually away from everyone, hiding in his beautiful garden, when Keith and his people and Coran have gone through so much trouble to make this meeting, this engagement happen? How dare he just brush their efforts away as if they mean nothing? As if  _ Keith  _ means nothing? Prince or not, he should at least have given Keith the courtesy of meeting him and denying the match face-to-face, if he finds the idea of marrying him so repulsive.

Anger scorching inside him, before he can even think about it further, Keith finds himself marching over to the Alpha, growling down at him, “So you think you can just hide out here?”

Prince Takashi jumps a little, snapping at attention with his dark eyes growing wide. Keith fights down a blush, determined to meet his gaze and not let himself falter. Even if the Prince is even more handsome now than he was over two years ago when they last met, having filled out in the shoulders and chest. His cheeks and lips are flushed with the cold and as Keith catches a whiff of his scent, now for the first time as a fully matured Omega, he has to fight the way it makes his knees buckle. The Prince’s scent blends in beautifully with the cold winter, resembling the way the skies smell in the calm before a storm, in the crackle of air before lightning. It’s a powerful smell that seems to attach itself to Keith’s nostrils, leaving him unable to escape it, in a way that makes him dizzy.

“ _ Keith _ ?!” Prince Takashi gasps, his mouth falling open, and Keith hates how the shocked eyes and the red further reaching the Prince’s cheeks and ears only makes him look more endearing. “Wow, you…you’ve  _ grown _ .”

“That tends to happen in two and a half years,” Keith huffs, crossing his arms defiantly, unwilling to show even a slightest hint of weakness. He won’t be made a fool out of, even by his own undeniable attraction to the Prince.

“What…what are you doing here?” Prince Takashi stammers, sounding strangely out of breath, his eyes darting up and down Keith’s body.

Keith only feels another spark of irritation at the words. Is he just pretending to be this stupid? Is he trying to humiliate and shame Keith by making him say it?

“Don’t act as if you don’t know,” Keith hisses through clenched teeth.

“But I don’t, Keith, I really don’t,” Prince Takashi says, standing up from his bench and looking down at him with confused, desperate eyes, still so much taller than Keith. His scent takes on such a sad tone that Keith almost feels his anger slip away. He refuses to look at the Prince to keep him from noticing. “I’m glad to see you, really, I am. But I had no idea you’d be coming here. Are you accompanying your friends?”

Keith snaps his burning gaze back towards him. “Oh, because otherwise I couldn’t be here, is that right? Poor Keith of Marmora who has no title and no value other than that given to him by his connections, so of course he wouldn’t be welcome at the birthday celebration for the Princes of Atlas?”

“Keith, that’s not-” Prince Takashi cuts himself off, blinking rapidly a few times. “Wait, did you say Marmora?”

Now it’s Keith’s turn to blink, despite his anger. “ _ That  _ is what your attention is drawn to?”

Prince Takashi doesn’t seem to hear him, his mouth falling open again, his eyes huge with shock. “ _ You’re  _ the Omega from Marmora my parents told me I was to meet today to finalize our engagement?”

Keith feels his anger be washed away from his own surprise. “You really didn’t know?”

“They never mentioned your name,” Prince Takashi breathes, sitting back down on the bench, as if the revelation is too much for him to be able to keep standing. Keith can’t blame him. His own head is spinning from all the whirlwind of emotions he’s had pass through him in just a few moments, in a few spoken words. “And you do not look like one of Marmora.”

“My father was Atlassean,” Keith says, for the lack of anything better. “I received most of my features from my mother, but inherited the Atlassean look from him.”

Prince Takashi smiles warmly up at him, his eyes sparkling in the soft light of the moon and the lanterns, and Keith feels his breath catch. “I wish I had known. Then I wouldn’t have dreaded today so much. This is a very pleasant surprise.”

Keith feels it appropriate to sit beside him, given his own weariness, though he makes sure to maintain a bit of polite distance between them. “So you really were avoiding me,” he huffs, though most of the fight has been pushed out of him. “That’s not very polite of you.”

“I know,” Takashi says, resting his elbows down on his knees and looking towards the horizon. “I just wanted a moment to myself. To gather myself and really get used to the idea, before I’m made to marry someone I didn’t know. I’ve always known that such a fate would fall upon me sooner or later, and for the most part I was willing to do it for the sake of my people and country, but…”

Keith feels the rest of his anger abate, replaced by understanding. “Such a duty is not a light one to carry, even if you’re willing to go through with it, in the end,” he sighs. “It is the same way for me, even if I know this is the best course of action for everyone, and the best possible match for me.”

He licks his lips. “Still, you should’ve at least been there to greet me as a common courtesy. Didn’t you think your intended might not have struggled with this match as well?”

“I suppose I didn’t. You’re right, I should’ve. I’m sorry,” Prince Takashi says, and to his shock, Keith feels his hand reach out to cover his. And although the touch is chilled from the winter air, he welcomes it, shivering a little with the tingles it sends up his spine.

Keith decides to change the subject to try and distract himself. “I can understand why you’d come out here though,” he murmurs. “It’s really beautiful.”

Prince Takashi gives him a smile at that. “It is, isn’t it? Many enjoy the gardens more in their full greenery, but I’ve always preferred them in the winter. It is just so…peaceful and quiet, nothing like the everyday life here at the Palace otherwise. And from here, I can see the stars so clearly on nights like this.”

Keith lifts his head, seeing the Prince is right, with the starry skies opening up before and above them like they go on forever, now that it has stopped snowing. “That’s one of the things I like about Atlas,” he admits. “In Altea, everything is so bright, even at night. I can’t usually see stars when I am in Oriande, although they are more visible in the countryside, where I attend school.”

“That’s too bad. Since I was little, whenever I’ve felt overwhelmed by the world, I’ve always looked at the stars to soothe myself,” Prince Takashi says sympathetically. “They make me feel less alone in the world, and also help me understand that my problems are truly quite small in the grand scheme of the universe. That always helps put me at ease.”

“That’s an interesting way to look at things,” Keith muses.

“Grandmama – my maternal grandmother – was a male Omega like yourself,” Prince Takashi says. “He had an interest in the universe. When we were young, he often used to spend time with me and my brother when our parents were busy. He taught us about the stars and the universe, and helped us see the world through those ideas.”

“That sounds lovely,” Keith sighs. “Are you still close to him?”

“He passed away a few years ago, unfortunately. But yes, we were, right until the end.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Keith says, and after a moment’s hesitation, gives the Prince’s hand he’s still holding in a comforting squeeze. “My…my father has also passed away. It’s been a little over a year now.”

“That’s awful,” Prince Takashi says softly, squeezing Keith’s hand in turn now. “I’m sorry too, for your loss.”

“Thank you,” Keith says, blinking rapidly at his burning eyes. Some of the pain about Papa has had time to ease, but not all of it. Keith’s not sure if it ever really will. “It’s because of him that this marriage is so important to us. Him and everyone else who passed with him. My people are very vulnerable right now, and we need allies as the threat of Daibazaal only grows stronger.”

“That’s really admirable, that you’re willing to do that for your people,” Prince Takashi says. “And it’s not that I am not willing to do the same for mine. Despite what my parents may say or want to pretend, I know we need this alliance just as much. I just…” He sighs. “I just feel like my whole life has been decided minute to minute since I was born. That I’ve always been controlled, told what to do, either because it’s for the good of my people or…”

He doesn’t say it, but Keith can guess. Keeping his poor health out of the public eye and also from flaring up to keep the Prince alive, probably a lot of things have not been left up to Prince Takashi to choose for himself in his life.

“I know what you mean,” Keith murmurs. “You might already know this, but I was sent away to school at a young age, and I didn’t go back home for many years. I didn’t see my family at all. And when I finally did return…I realized there was no place for me on Marmora anymore. Not only because I didn’t fit in now, but because my return was never in anyone’s plans for me.”

“That’s horrible,” Takashi breathes. “I knew you had to leave Marmora at a young age, but that you haven’t been able to even go back in all this time…” He shakes his head. “And here I thought my parents constantly fretting over something going wrong if I go anywhere was bad.”

“There are no choices left for either of us except the ones already picked out for us,” Keith adds on.

“And there’s nothing we can do, because it is our duty, in the end,” Takashi sighs. “But we also can’t help but feel trapped in that constant cycle.”

They settle into a mutual, sad silence, allowing themselves and each other a moment to grieve everything that could’ve been, if things had been different. If they had had more choices in life, freedom to decide what they wanted to do with theirs. If they weren’t so trapped by the plans and concerns of others.

“If you could do anything in the world,” Takashi murmurs into the silence after a while. “Anything at all, without caring what anyone thought or if it’s even possible…what would you want to do with your life?”

Keith licks his lips, musing on his thoughts for a while. “I’d raise horses,” he says softly, feeling a small smile grace his lips. “The fastest and best ones in all of Erran. I’d have a little farm too, with chickens and maybe a vegetable garden, so I’d never go hungry. And I’d own land far away from the big cities, where the sky opens up around me in a way that makes me feel like I am drowning in the stars at night.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Takashi breathes. “I’d love to live in a place like that, too. I’d spend my nights researching the stars and the universe; watch for their movements and patterns through a telescope. And during the day I could help you care for the land and the chickens.”

Keith blinks. “You’d want me to be there? To combine our dream worlds?”

The Prince’s cheeks flush all the way up to his ears, and something about seeing that makes Keith’s heart clench. “…I don’t think I would mind the company. If it was you.”

“…I wouldn’t mind your company either,” Keith murmurs.

“Keith,” Prince Takashi says, turning inwards to look at him. Keith turns with him, meeting his eyes, as the Prince takes both his hands in his. “I know neither one of us chose this match. But now that I know it is you, I feel more at ease with it. I believe we can make this work. And I promise I’ll be good to you. I’ll be loyal. I won’t stray from you. And I’ll never ask for anything you’re not willing to give me. But if you’ll give me children, I promise you I’ll be a good father to them and care for them. If…if you’ll do me the honor of becoming my wife.”

Keith’s breath catches, shivering a little in the cold. “Are you…proposing to me?”

Takashi gives him a shy, sweet little grin. “I thought at least a bit of this should be left up to us. To be a little bit more romantic.”

Keith’s face melts into a smile, his insides flooding with heat. “Then I accept your proposal, Prince Takashi.”

“Just Takashi is fine, at least in private like this,” he says warmly, shifting a bit closer to Keith on the bench. “You’re my fiancée now, after all.” He pauses, blinking. “Sorry, I just realized I don’t have a ring to give you…I guess that is a problem when you decide to propose suddenly.” He lets out a self-deprecating chuckle.

“That’s alright,” Keith whispers, lowering his eyes so Takashi won’t see his eyes glazing over. “This was more than I ever could’ve hoped for.”

“It doesn’t have to end yet,” Takashi says, standing up and pulling Keith along with him. “Let me show you something, before we have to return to break the news to our families.”

Curiosity burning at his core, urging him onwards, Keith is more than willing to let the Prince lead him through the gardens to a projection spot in the Palace walls. Keith’s breath catches when Takashi puts his hand on a spot in the wall and begins sliding it open, revealing a dark, secret passageway. There are no windows inside, but above the revealed door gleams a lantern, which Takashi takes into hand to light their path. It is still more than a bit eerie to be inside the tight space that seems entirely consumed by shadows, only accompanied by their breathing and quiet steps, but Takashi seems to know where he’s going, even when guided just by a little light. It leaves Keith content to hold his hand and follow along.

“Is this how you were able to sneak out without anyone noticing?” he whispers into the darkness.

“Yes. Always being stuck at home has made me quite an expert on the secret passages that go through the Palace, hiding inside the walls. I doubt even my Lord Father knows about them better than me.” Takashi chuckles. “But better keep silent; someone might hear us talking from the other side.”

Keith swallows, and does as told, following the Prince down the corridor. It slowly turns upwards, then forms into stairs, and finally ends in an iron ladder for the two of them to climb. Takashi goes first, opening a lid in the ceiling ahead of them and below him Keith can feel the cool brush of night air on his face again. Takashi slips out of the hole he created, and as Keith follows after him, offers him his hand to help pull him up on the last few steps and over the side of the opening. In his heels, Keith appreciates the assistance.

As Keith takes in where they are, he realizes they must be in the highest tower of the Palace, on some sort of a viewing balcony. Breathless, he walks with shaky legs over to the railing, square around the entire balcony, and feels cold wind lift his braid and dress in the air. Despite his furs, he shivers, but he barely cares about that at all. The sight opening up in front of him is mesmerizing. The skies are clear and huge above him, glimmering with bright stars looking closer than he’s ever seen them. They blend in with the lights from the city of Kerberos below them, as if Keith and Takashi are surrounded by the universe.

He sees the Prince step up beside him from the corner of his eye, turning to face him and smile at him, his chest tight with emotion. “It’s beautiful.”

“This is my secret place,” Takashi says, leaning his arms on the railing beside Keith, the fine lines of his face brought out ever sharper by the moonlight. “I come here when I truly want to be alone with the stars.”

“Thank you for showing it to me,” Keith breathes, glancing over at the vision before him. “It’s incredible.” He licks his suddenly dry lips, turning towards the Prince, feeling shame flame up inside of him. “I’m sorry I was so rude to you earlier. I was just…”

“I don’t mind. You had a right to be angry,” Takashi says warmly. “I like that you speak so plainly to me. I liked it when we were younger, and I like it even more now. I have enough people in my life trying to shield me from the world and the truth, not to mention even my own faults. I wouldn’t want my wife to be like that too. I want to be able to trust you, and that you also can feel like you can tell me anything. So I hope you’ll continue to speak your mind to me, openly and without restraint.”

Keith smiles, feeling his cheeks burn. “Then I’ll do my best to do that,” he says. “And I hope you’ll do the same. I want to be able to support you as well as I can, but I can’t do that if you won’t speak to me.”

“I promise,” Takashi says with a kind smile and a twinkle in his eyes.

They look each other in the eyes for a moment, just smiling at each other. It is then that Keith notices a sheen of sweat glistening on the Prince’s brow, and recalls the way it made his forelock curl at the Ball years ago. The excursion to walk up here wasn’t too demanding, and Takashi should more likely be cold than warm without a real coat on. Keith wonders if the sweat may be a sign of his illness, that he perhaps gets fatigued more easily. But Takashi hasn’t said anything about it, so it’s not really Keith’s place to mention it. He doesn’t want to embarrass the Prince if he doesn’t want attention drawn to his condition.

As Takashi turns back towards the view, he breathes out, “Did you know today isn’t my actual birthday?”

Keith blinks at him. “Really? But aren’t you and your brother twins?”

“We are, we just have different birthdays,” Takashi says. “I took a long time to be born. There were complications; I’m told I was stuck inside Mother in some manner and she struggled to bring me to the world. The day had changed to the 29 th before I was out.”

“So you’re a leap year baby?” Keith breathes. He does a quick calculation in his head of Takashi’s Numbers of Blessing. Two and two. His heart thuds. “You’re Double Blessed by Victory.”

“Indeed,” Takashi says with a wry smile. But then he sighs, closing his eyes, his shoulders slumping. “If I was anyone else, I would probably be thought to have a great destiny, to be a fated warrior of some kind at least. But because of how I was born, everyone thought my Blessing was only that I lived at all afterwards, since I wasn’t breathing as I came out. And then when I kept on living, kept on growing older, when all doctors predicted I would die young.”

“I’m sorry. That’s not fair to you,” Keith says softly. “But if it makes you feel any better, people thinking you have a great destiny isn’t all that great either.”

“I can imagine,” Takashi says gently. “I admit it is probably enough pressure to be a Prince. I just wish people wouldn’t always look at me like I’m pitiful just for existing, or think me weak without even knowing me. If nothing else, I want to be able to tell people what I can and cannot do myself.”

“I get that,” Keith says. “If it matters at all…you can always tell me if I am overstepping. I will try my best to respect you as you are, and listen to you. I promise.”

“Thank you, that means a lot,” Takashi says, smiling warmly at him, shifting a bit closer to him until their arms and shoulders brush. “And I promise to do the same for you, too.”

Takashi lifts up a hand to move a lock of hair behind Keith’s ear, touching the side of his face with his fingers in a way that makes Keith shiver. Their faces are suddenly so close Keith can count the stars reflecting in the Prince’s eyes. He feels his lips tingle, his knees weaken beneath him, as he prepares to…

“Takashi,” a new voice cuts into Keith’s train of thought, and his head snaps towards the direction it came from, almost involuntarily and definitely reluctantly. The voice, just like the person it belongs to, resembles Prince Takashi immensely.

“Ryou,” Takashi sighs, sounding a little exasperated, but approaches his brother nonetheless towards the secret entrance, leaving Keith cold and by himself. “What are you doing here?”

“I just came to let you know that you and your lady better start coming back inside if you don’t want Mother and Father to lose their minds with worry,” Prince Ryou says with a sly little grin.

Takashi hangs his head, letting out a long sigh. “Very well.” He turns to look at Keith over his shoulder. “Sounds like we should head back.”

Keith nods. “Lead the way.”

Prince Ryou pops down back inside the entrance, his brother following along and Keith not long after them. This time they don’t head back outside but turn into another corridor in the darkness until Prince Ryou opens up a different wall in an empty sitting room somewhere. He leads the way for them back towards the ballroom through the regular open corridors of the Palace that Keith barely has time to take in. But it gives them the opportunity to slip back in without anyone noticing, and for Keith to put his coat back away with the Palace servants, before following after the Twin Princes.

When he reenters the ballroom, he sees them with their parents, who are in the company of Coran, Kolivan and Mama as well. Allura and Lotor are standing on the sidelines, and Allura is the first to spot Keith, walking over to him in a few long strides, her heeled shoes sounding against the floor.

“Keith, where were you? We got worried when we couldn’t find you anywhere,” she gasps, her eyes and scent alarmed as she grips onto his shoulders.

“I was outside in the gardens,” Keith murmurs, leaning in to whisper, “I’ll explain more later.”

Allura gives him a quick nod, leading him back towards the others. Queen Rina seems to be taking Takashi’s temperature, feeling his cheeks and forehead with concerned eyes and gentle hands.

“…if you had collapsed?” Keith hears her say under her breath as he and Allura come closer. “You know the cold isn’t good for you.”

“I wasn’t out for that long, Mother,” Takashi groans, clearly sounding exhausted with her concern, even pulling himself away from her hands with a huff and crossed arms that make him look boyish and adorable.

“Keith,” Mama speaks, her eyes lighting up as she spots him, starting to walk towards him. “Are you alright? Where were you?”

“I just needed some air,” Keith says. “I’m alright.”

Before he can even finish speaking, he’s made uncomfortably aware by how all eyes have turned towards him, some with piercing stares, some curious ones, some angry. Keith finds Takashi’s the most pleasing to look at, kind and sympathetic, so he focuses on him to steel his nerves even as he feels his cheeks flush at the sudden attention.

“So he’s the one,” Queen Rina says, turning away from her son long enough to give Keith a long, icy full-bodied stare that makes him suppress a chilled tremble. “I suppose he’s pretty enough. But isn’t he still a bit too skinny? Can such a little thing really bear healthy sons? Especially when he was born Blessed by Death of all the Nine.”

“You have seen the medical reports I have sent you over the past months,” Coran speaks up, a carefree facade in his tone and expression. “The Omega specialist I have taken him to has given her professional opinion that Keith is perfectly capable of giving your son children, and indeed, very healthy and fertile to do so.”

Keith feels himself blush and bites his lip to try and not avert his eyes in embarrassment. He can’t believe they’re speaking of this so candidly, and in front of Takashi and everyone else, too. But he won’t let them see it’s getting to him. He won’t show weakness in front of these people who already think so little of him.

“Lady Keith won’t be the problem in the two of them having offspring. You forget he is also Blessed by Life, and that not all of us consider being Blessed by Death a bad omen,” Kolivan cuts in. “Besides, shouldn’t you be more concerned your son may not be able to provide him with healthy, viable children instead?”

Queen Rina’s cheeks turn an angry red hue beneath her white makeup and her brows pinch, turning her scent sour with anger. “Well, then, how can we be sure the boy is suitable at all? Not only does he barely bring anything to this marriage, but has he even remained pure for our Takashi? Who knows what kinds of things he got up to in Altea, with how the culture there seems to care little for social tact.”

It’s Keith’s turn to feel anger scorch his insides. “I am still a virgin!” he hisses, before he realizes what he just said. He quickly covers his mouth in shame, lowering his eyes and curtsying. “Your Grace.”

“Mother,” Takashi cuts in, causing Keith to lift his head. “I have no doubt of Lady Keith’s chastity, although I would not mind in either case. But I can smell it on him. I imagine anyone with a half-decent nose can. No one has touched him.”

He gives Keith a warm, encouraging smile that makes Keith’s stomach feel funny, but not in an entirely unpleasant way.

“Indeed, Mother,” Prince Ryou joins in. “You have all the documents from Lord Coran. Haven’t you been over these points dozens of times already in your correspondence with him within the past year? Why can’t you just give in to the truth of the matter?”

His eyes are sharp as they meet his Lady Mother’s, his voice low and grave. “You’ve said it yourself: we need allies against Daibazaal, and it’s not like Takashi has people lining up to marry him. Lady Keith is a good match, the best match either side is going to get under the circumstances. He gets to become a Princess, we get Marmora’s swords, armor and soldiers, and we won’t have to depend on me to continue the Shirogane line alone.”

He surprises Keith by giving him a quick grin. “Not to mention, the way I see it, our little lovebirds themselves seem to get along splendidly already.”

He gives Keith a wink that makes his cheeks burn all the way up to his ears, and swallow around his dry throat.

“Is it as your brother says, Takashi?” King Noriaki speaks up, his voice as regal and commanding as everything about him, but there is an edge of warmth to it as well as he talks to his son.

“It is so, Father,” Takashi says, making Keith’s heart skip a beat. “I’ve only known Lady Keith in passing, and for a little while thus far. But he is a credit to his people and guardians; beautiful and outspoken and honest. I would be honored to call him my wife. Indeed, I have already asked him, and he has agreed.”

Keith’s world seems to be spinning, the word  _ beautiful  _ echoing through his head in Takashi’s voice. He’s heard it directed towards him at times from other people too, but never like this. From the Prince’s lips, it sounds true in his ears. Like something he himself can also believe.

“You what?” Queen Rina hisses.

“We need this alliance, Mother,” Takashi cuts in, firm. “And having a Seer on our side at the Palace is more useful to us now than ever. Especially if Lady Keith may pass his gifts down to our children.” His Lady Mother looks to be about to say something else, but Takashi stops her, holding up a hand. “This is my choice, Mother. If I must marry, I’ll be glad if it is to Lady Keith.”

For a moment, no one says anything, the only sounds around them the talking of other guests, the music, and the sound of shoes dancing on the floor.

“Well,” Coran says after a while, clapping his hands together in a brisk manner. “I think that just about settles the matter then? Since it sounds like Prince Takashi and Lady Keith have already made their decision. Shall we move to somewhere more private to draw up a contract for the alliance and the engagement?”

King Noriaki leads the way for their group to move into a conference room of sorts, although Allura and Lotor are forced to stay in the ballroom. The negotiations for the engagement and the marriage last a long time, and Keith desperately wishes he didn’t have to be present for them either. It is bad enough the others are deciding his future while he’s in the room all the while they ignore his presence. But for them to keep talking about his virginity, the number of children he must have (“We insist on at least three,” Queen Rina said, to which Kolivan replied, “And what will you do if he has fewer? Throw him and your two grandchildren to the streets?”), and the date of the wedding itself is almost too much for him to bear.

Thankfully, there is also talk of other things, such as how many soldiers Marmora can offer Atlas, what kind of minerals and materials they can excavate and how many swords and suits of armor they can make. And how much of what they have they’re willing to give. And naturally, the contract also includes a clause that Atlas will back Marmora’s cause for independence when Daibazaal becomes weakened and they can try and break free for good. It is a relief to hear, since with Lotor marrying Allura in the future, they will no longer be able to count on his assistance with their independence to mean anything. For purely himself, Keith has to admit he is additionally glad the wedding won’t take place until after he has turned eighteen, so he can finish his schooling at the Institute before he marries and has to leave Altea.

Finally, when the papers have been signed, and everyone is released back into the celebrations, Takashi asks Keith for a dance. He’s all too glad to accept, despite the weariness of the long day and night starting to weigh on him. After all the official talk, he wants a moment to spend in peace with his fiancé ( _ fiancé! _ ). He’s missed dancing with Takashi, and he can’t know when they’ll next see each other, after all.

“Before, when we were talking to your parents,” Keith finds himself breathing out as Takashi leads him to move with the music. “Did you mean what you said?”

“Yes, I did,” Takashi says, his cheeks flushing. “I find you…smart, engaging, beautiful, honest…all qualities I’ve been longing for my wife to have. I know we barely have a choice in this marriage and we barely know each other, but…I am glad you are my betrothed. Truly. And I meant what I said to you earlier as well. I promise I’ll treat you well, and I’ll be a good husband and father.”

He licks his lips, his expression tightening. “…For as long as time permits me to be.”

Keith squeezes the hand holding his in the dance stance. “I believe you and trust you, when you say that,” he says softly. “I was happy enough with the match between us before, but now I feel even more settled and certain. I think we can have something good between us, if we work on it. I…I know this is not something a lady should say, but I also find you…charming, handsome, kind and generous. I don’t think I could find a better husband.”

“I am honored by your words,” Takashi says, voice and smile equally warm. “And perhaps we don’t have to wait until we’re married to start working on building something. We probably won’t get to see each other much before the wedding, with how busy our lives are, but…we could perhaps write to each other, if you’d like.”

Keith returns his smile as Takashi spins him around. “I think I rather would like it indeed.”

He and Takashi smile at each other as they rejoin each other in the dance stance, and Keith’s whole chest feels like it’s glowing with warmth. Yes. This will be a good thing. He has faith in that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No letters this time around since there are no time gaps, and this chapter really only takes place over the course of a single day.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to put the epilogue as its own chapter because otherwise it felt too tagged on and detached 😅. It's pretty short so I'm aiming to put that up in a week. This one is a bit longer though. Can't believe we're this close to the ending (of Part 1)!!
> 
> Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and all that stuff to all of you who celebrate anything around this time! And Happy Thursday to those who don't!

_ Dear Keith, _

_ Perhaps you think me foolish and far too keen to be writing to you so soon when we have only been apart for perhaps a day. Regardless, I felt I should apologize for keeping you up and dancing with me long into the night of my Birthday Celebration. I hope you have been able to get some rest since then and that your feet do not hurt too much. I am glad to tell you that I have the day off from my studies today, to gather back my strength after the festivities, as I hope you are able to as well. I am grateful for that, as admittedly my body aches. I imagine I will return to bed once I have finished writing you this letter and have eaten something. _

_ However, I must also confess I enjoyed every moment I got to spend with you. I cannot recall when I last enjoyed dancing with someone who is also so easy to talk to. Perhaps I never have, because even with few meetings between us, I know you are one of a kind. _

_ For now, I hope you had as good of a time with me as I did with you, and I wish you a safe journey back to Altea. _

_ Write back to me soon, alright? I look forward to hearing from you. It would bring me joy to gain more glimpses of the world outside the Palace walls. _

_ Yours Sincerely, Your Intended, _

_ Takashi Shirogane, Second Prince of Atlas _

… __ __

After having spent the night of the Birthday Celebration for the Twin Princes up dancing with his fiancé, Keith practically sleeps the entire next day. The letter waiting for him when he finally wakes up makes him smile in what is sure to be a rather goofy manner, and sends his heart into a frenzy. It’s as though his whole body floods with warmth. Knowing the engagement is now settled, even if it cannot be announced to the public in case it might further anger Daibazaal and harm the people of Marmora and Atlas both, makes him feel more settled and calm as well. It is a relief that all the difficult negotiations are now behind Keith. It’s enough to carry him through his separation from Mama once more and the harsh journey back to Altea. Keith doesn’t really get a chance to write back until he returns to the Institute, but his safe arrival at least gives him something to start with.

With a proper start to their correspondence, Keith begins receiving a letter from Takashi at least twice a movement, sometimes more. Reading them and answering them becomes a new part of his everyday life and routine, and he can’t deny that he cherishes each word and saves all of them in his drawers in his and Allura’s room. It is wonderful to have that constant connection with Takashi, to really get to know him and have the time to talk to him, even if only via paper and ink. He thinks of his words and his touch once again through his next heat as well.

Keith smiles while reading about how his princely studies sometimes bore Takashi, even though he loves and respects his tutor Lord Samuel Holt. He feels sympathy when Takashi tells him about how being cooped up at the Palace sometimes makes the Prince stir-crazy until he can escape to his secret tower. He has to fight to stifle his giggles when Takashi recalls the antics he and his brother Ryou, and occasionally Matthew Holt, get up to. It is clear Takashi is quite close to his brother, who seems to be the only one in his family who doesn’t treat him like he’s fragile and breakable. It makes Keith miss Acxa and the way things were all the more. After a bit of hesitation, he puts that in his next letter, and it actually feels good to open up to someone who also has a sibling. It’s not something Keith’s friends have really been able to fully relate to, and Takashi’s sympathetic response makes Keith glad he had the courage to tell him about his sister.

In their correspondence, Takashi also tells him more about Atlas and the culture there, with more intimate detail than Keith could learn from books. He talks about the court and the people he knows and has heard of, how they operate and work. Because it was originally nine different kingdoms that were unified by Takashi’s ancestor Masashi Shirogane after many years of mutual existence of trade and occasional conflicts, the cultures from different parts of Atlas can be very different from one another. Each of the nine territories also has a sense of pride about themselves, and they each have a noble representative in the King’s Council from one of the old ruling noble families. Neither the King nor the Royal Family can make any important decisions without the majority approval of his Council, but this takes some of the burden of ruling such a large Kingdom off his shoulders. Keith can’t say he disapproves of the method, given it seems to put more power back into the hands of the people.

Takashi’s letters almost make Keith excited to get to experience all the different sides of the country that is to be his new home one day. The correspondence makes him finally really feel as though he has a proper purpose now; something that is completely his own, and will open up a pathway into his future. The marriage may have been set up by his family and people the same as his education, but Keith knows that once he marries Takashi and becomes a Princess, he’ll have more cards in his hand to play than ever before. His people’s lives will truly be in his hands and he’ll be able to gain more agency and stand on his own through that.

And that is something no one can take away from him. Knowing that is a huge weight off his shoulders. Nothing in his life has been so certain, and he’s had so little control over what happens to him thus far. Even his friends, as much as Keith loves them, were practically hand-picked for him, and deep down Keith has always known his time with them wouldn’t last forever. All their lives would take them down different paths, into marriages and into divergent duties. As much as thinking about that still causes Keith’s heart to ache, it is also a comfort to know that after his time at the Institute and with his friends is over, he won’t be left completely bereft.

As winter starts to turn into spring, the knowledge of the inevitable separation from Allura and Lotor begins to feel especially looming. The next semester after the upcoming summer will be their last at the Institute. After that, the next part of their lives will begin, and lead to their separation. Keith and his friends don’t speak of it out loud, but Keith can tell all of them are keener on spending time together, enjoying the last of their youth to its fullest before duty really starts calling. They study together for their spring exams, talk about the recent news from Daibazaal, practice swordplay and go riding around the grounds of the Institute. They don’t talk about the future, but Keith can tell it’s on each of their minds when in-between all the fun they have, they fall into pained, short silences.

It isn’t until they’ve completed their final exams for the semester, and will soon be leaving for the Summer Palace to spend their break that Allura finally says, “I think when we meet Father again, we should announce Lotor’s and my engagement,” bringing up the notion of the looming future for the first time.

Keith swallows, a sudden uncomfortable feeling settling in his stomach at the reminder. “You’re sure?”

“It is time,” Allura says with a nod, although there is a touch of sadness to the line of her mouth, nerves radiating off her scent. “We’ve been engaged for almost a year without anyone knowing. And with your engagement to Prince Takashi settled, I believe we can safely proceed. I don’t want to hide anymore, and I don’t want to entertain Alphas I will never choose for myself this summer, when I could be planning my wedding to the one I love instead.”

Lotor pulls her close on the couch. “We’ll follow your lead, Allura,” he murmurs softly into her hair. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll talk to the King.”

Keith nods as well, getting up from where he’d been sitting on the floor and sits on Allura’s other side to hold her hand in comfort and enjoy the closeness of his friends for a while longer. At the same time, he begins going over in his head any points he can make to convince Allura’s Lord Father to allow his friends to marry without too many issues. If his presence is somehow supposed to influence King Alfor, as Keith Saw it would, he’d better make whatever time he had to get his words in, worth every second.

…

_ Dear Takashi, _

_ Thank you for taking the time to write again, and keeping me informed about everything that is going on in Atlas. I hope that you’ll continue to do so, as it feels good to be kept in the loop for once, and that you and your family are in good health. I’m glad to know I can trust you to be truthful even about difficult things to me. _

_ My school semester is almost over. I have just finished my final exams for the year, and soon my friends and I will be leaving for our summer break. We’ll be spending it with Allura’s parents as usual. I actually have a feeling this will be a very interesting summer, and I’ve learned to listen to those feelings when I have them. I must admit I am a little nervous, as well. I’m not at liberty to say more right now, but I’ll write again once some things have been made certain. _

_ Meanwhile, although I am doing my best to prepare myself for the life of a Princess, there is only so much I can study on the subject. I imagine much of it must come with practical experience, although your letters have been a huge help as well. I admit trying to learn all of it has me a little out of my depth, and most days I still can hardly believe all of this is real and truly happening. The transition from a regular student to a Princess feels challenging to say the least. People are usually either born into royalty or grow up knowing they’ll marry into it. Having only so much time to prepare for the future that is fast approaching isn’t completely painless, even if I’ve been learning about courtly manners since childhood. _

_ Still, I am willing to work for it for two reasons. One being that it benefits my people. The other being that it is you I will be marrying. I know you will guide me along, as you’ve already been doing to the best of your ability from afar. Your encouragement keeps me going, despite my uncertainties. So please, keep writing to me even in the summer. _

_ Yours Sincerely, _

_ Keith Kogane _

…

Keith’s not certain who between Allura and himself is the one that builds up more anxiety and nerves over the next few days as they pack to ready themselves for the summer. He knows they’ve both been sleeping badly, Allura only dozing off for a few hours at night when Keith squeezed into her bed to stroke her hair until she settled. He makes sure to watch that she eats, as well as see to finishing his own plates of food to set a good example, even if his stomach stays in knots. He holds her hands when they shake with nerves and asks her to come ride horses or draw with him when her complexion grows too ashy with thoughts swirling inside her head. He can’t do much else to help her until they can talk to her Lord Father, but his efforts do seem to help, if only for the moment.

In a way, as much as the idea of finally breaking the news of his daughter’s engagement to the Crown Prince of Daibazaal to King Alfor makes them nervous, it is a relief when they arrive at the Summer Palace and the opportunity finally shows. At least after they’ve said their piece, no matter what the results are, they can put it behind them and think up solutions rather than worst-case scenarios.

Allura is smart about the timing. The news is not the first thing she comes out with when they arrive, giving her, Keith, and Lotor some time to rest and properly gather their thoughts and arguments. But she doesn’t put off telling her Lord Father for very long, giving Keith and Lotor a meaningful look after the first dinner at the Summer Palace, when they, her parents, and Coran have settled in the informal drawing room for coffee, brandy, and cake.

“Father, Mother, Coran,” she speaks up, voice clear and only the slight tremble of her hands betraying her nerves. “There is something I must discuss with you. Something important.”

Allura’s parents and Keith’s guardian look up from their coffee cups, sitting up a bit straighter on the couch and the armchair opposite to the one Allura and Lotor are sharing. Keith himself straightens up in the chair nearby, taking in a steeling breath and squaring his shoulders.

“We’re listening, Allura,” King Alfor says, his tone indescribable, looking straight at her.

Keith sees Allura’s throat bob with a swallow, before she seems to steel herself. “The truth is, Father,” she says, moving to take Lotor’s hand. He holds hers tightly in return, a silent support beside her. “Lotor and I…we wish to marry. We’re engaged.”

“I see,” King Alfor says, still in that even, strange tone that Keith can’t decipher, his expression neutral and almost impassive. Coran and the Queen’s expressions seem only mildly surprised.

“Your Grace,” Lotor speaks up, sounding a little breathless with nerves, his complexion a bit pale. “I love your daughter. I have loved her for some time now.” He licks his lips. “I know I am not who you would’ve chosen for Allura to marry, but I promise you, if you accept me as her fiancé and husband, I will not let her or you down. I will care for her until the end of my days, honor her, value her and respect her. I will stand by her side and support her as she becomes Queen, and any and all children we may have will be my greatest pride and joy.”

“And given you are bringing this matter to us now, I am assuming you already know what you will be doing about your own Kingdom waiting for your return to court?” Alfor muses.

“Yes, Your Grace,” Lotor says. “I have thought about this plenty, and I have decided I will not return to Daibazaal. The actions that are being taken there frankly appall me, and my relationship with the country of my birth and my parents was never warm to begin with. As you know, I am Altean through my mother, and it is here that I have come to feel at home. I have spent nearly all my life here, and thus I doubt the Galra people would even accept me as Emperor. Therefore, I have decided to give up my claim to the throne completely. I will be content as Allura’s Prince Consort.”

“Father, Mother,” Allura continues, her eyes large and pleading. “I love Lotor with all my heart. I know him and I trust him; both things I’ve always longed for in the people I choose to include in my personal life. There is no one I would accept as my husband over him. I know the times ahead of us are uncertain, but that only makes me wish to be with him all the more. I need him by my side.”

When none of the adults say anything for some time, leaving Allura shuffling and squirming silently and uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes on her lap, Keith thinks it is his time to speak up.

“Your Graces,” he says, waiting until heads turn to him, and trying not to be intimidated by that. “I know my word may not weigh all that much with you, but if it means anything, I beg of you to agree to this marriage. Allura and Lotor are my dearest friends, and I have never seen them so happy as when they are together. That’s why I ask of you to please not rip that happiness from them, and allow them to be together, openly and honestly, in front of everyone.”

He swallows. “There aren’t many things any of the three of us have been allowed to choose for ourselves…but just as Allura says, I also think having someone you care for and trust as your spouse is more important than we’re usually allowed to think,” he says. “If you find a person who can support you through everything, who you can count on and rely on, who you can expect to tell you the truth, even when that truth isn’t what you want to hear…it helps you to keep going, and bring prosperity and honor to your family and your people. It will be easier to do your duty if you can do it with someone you love by your side.”

Once he’s done, Keith holds his breath, despite his heart pounding in his throat. He watches King Alfor intently. He sees Queen Melenor and Coran’s expressions start to melt into small smiles, but it is Allura’s Lord Father they’ll really need to convince for everything to work out. Keith feels almost ready to burst from the lack of air by the time the King’s lips also begin to turn upwards and he can release his breath in relief.

“Well, it seems you all have given this matter much thought,” Alfor says, now with a touch of warmth in his voice. “And it is not as though I can claim Lotor is not otherwise a suitable match for you, Allura, with his background.”

Allura sucks in a sharp breath, her eyes widening. “Does that mean…?”

“If you both really are willing to go through all these sacrifices, all this trouble, just to be together, I cannot bring myself to object to this match either. Especially since it seems to make you so happy,” he says. Before Allura can speak up again, though, he holds up a hand. “However, with the times being as uncertain as they are, I am sure you also understand our need for alliances, even if Daibazaal may not currently be a direct threat to us.”

Allura swallows, but seems determined not to look away or lose her nerve, her hands fisting in her lap. “Yes, Father,” she says. “But Keith will be married into the Atlas Royal Family, as you know. We will have a connection to them through him.”

“Indeed, but I would like to further add to that connection.” The King turns to face Keith, who barely manages not to jump. “Therefore, I would like for you to promise me something, Keith, in exchange for agreeing to the marriage between Lotor and my daughter.”

Keith swallows, his voice a little croaked when he breathes out, “Yes, Your Grace?”

“As you know, Atlasseans and Alteans were once one people,” Alfor says. “However, marriages between our two peoples have been rare. I would like for that to change, and warm the relationship between our countries up again. You will naturally play an important part in that, but as time passes, I’d like for us to truly solidify our alliance through wedlock as well. Therefore, I ask that once you have a child with Prince Takashi that is compatible to marry and have children with Allura and Lotor’s first child, their heir, we will form an engagement between those two children. Thus, forming an alliance between Altea and Atlas once more.”

Keith’s heart pounds in his ears, and now his hands are starting to shake with cold sweats. “Why my child, Your Grace?” he breathes. “Would such an alliance not be better if it was formed between the offspring of Crown Prince Ryou and your royal grandchildren?”

“You don’t know Crown Prince Ryou very well yet, do you, Keith?” Alfor says, giving him a weird soft of smile.

“N-no, Your Grace, I suppose I do not,” Keith stammers. “I know his reputation, however.”

“Indeed, and that is precisely what concerns me when it comes to him,” Alfor says, suddenly turning sullen, almost bitter. “He is too carefree, too used to getting his way and doing what he wants. He’s not reliable, not in the way Prince Takashi is, despite his ill health. We cannot be certain what will happen in the future, but I don’t think I should count on engaging my grandchild with any offspring Crown Prince Ryou may or may never have.”

He gives Keith a small smile. “You, however, I know and trust, Keith. And despite what you may think, or what King Noriaki and his Lady Wife may wish…I have a feeling none of us should leave out the possibility you may be Queen one day after all, since at least for the moment, Prince Takashi  _ is  _ his brother’s heir.” Keith swallows, his stomach lurching at the very thought. “So, I would very much like your word on the hand of your child being promised to Altea, Keith.”

Keith licks his lips, lowering his eyes in thought. He’s almost dizzy with how much seems to have happened and how much information has been exchanged in such a short amount of time. The idea that he might become Queen is ludicrous. King Noriaki and Queen Rina would never allow it, he’s fairly certain. They only barely agreed to his marriage to Takashi. But even without taking that idea into account, the thought that he’d have to do the same thing that has been done to him to his own child one day stabs at his heart. The idea that they’d also simply become a pawn in someone else’s game fills him with dread.

But on the other hand, would it really be so bad? His child’s betrothed would be the child of his two dearest friends after all. And they’ll be born royalty, so an arranged marriage is almost certainly looming in their future anyway. Wouldn’t it be better that it be to a family Keith already knows and trusts, and to a country that he loves? The children can even get to know each other through their parents for quite a while before the actual wedding. Their marriage may be arranged, but it doesn’t have to mean it will be awful for them. After all, it’s not as though Keith himself dislikes his own arranged match either.

Besides, who is to say what will happen later? King Alfor may not even be around to see the engagement happen by the time his grandchild is old enough for such matters. If things get too troublesome, Keith’s sure he and his friends can figure something out between themselves to resolve the situation without too many difficulties. And right now, all that matters is that Allura and Lotor can have each other and be happy. That is the first thing Keith has to worry about, rather than something that may never even happen to people who aren’t yet even born. He has to concern himself with the people who are here right now, rather than someone imaginary from the future.

He raises his head, taking in a steadying breath, and looks King Alfor straight in the eyes. “You have my word, Your Grace. If you’ll let Allura and Lotor marry, I promise my child will marry theirs, and form an alliance between Atlas and Altea.”

King Alfor claps his hands together, finally smiling more widely. “Splendid.”

As soon as the word is uttered, Queen Melenor and Coran spring up from their seats, their faces suddenly aglow with huge smiles, and they rush over to congratulate Allura and Lotor with hugs, kisses and questions.

“Lotor,” King Alfor says over the heads of his Lady Wife and Royal Advisor. “I will hold you to your promises, to everything you said to me today. You must abdicate as soon as possible if you wish for your engagement to be officially announced.”

Lotor nods against Queen Melenor’s shoulder. “I shall write to Daibazaal tonight.”

King Alfor nods at him in return. “Then I shall draft the announcement,” he says, before his expression softens. “And please, be good to my daughter.”

“I will, Your Grace,” Lotor says. “Thank you.”

Allura takes the chance to break from her Lady Mother to go over to hug her Lord Father, tears shimmering in her eyes and starting to flow down her cheeks as she reaches him. “Thank you, Father. You don’t know what this means to me.”

The King gives her a kiss on the head and a tight squeeze, before Allura breaks away from him and comes over to hug Keith instead. “Thank you, too, Keith. For everything.”

Keith smiles, feeling his shoulder grow wet with a few tears as he holds Allura tightly in return, her scent blowing up with joy resembling sunshine in his nose. “Congratulations, Allura. I’m so happy for you.”

Allura giggles in his ear. “And now, we have a wedding to plan,” she chirps. “Maid of Honor.”

Keith lets out a laugh, a warm swell of joy ready to burst inside of him. “We do, don’t we.”

…

_ Dear Keith, _

_ I must admit your news regarding your friends’ engagement arrives at a very turbulent and busy time in my family’s lives. That is why I wasn’t able to write to you sooner. I must admit I’ve been quite overwhelmed with everything that has happened. Nonetheless, let me now say that personally, I wish your friends all the best and I hope you can congratulate them on their engagement on my behalf. I don’t know either of them very well, but I have to admire how far they were willing to go for love. _

_ However, returning to the uproar here in Atlas, I must admit the engagement of your friends – as happy an occasion as it must be for you and them – came at a really awful time for us. Perhaps as an isolated incident, it would only have caused some gossip and talk amongst our court, but as it turns out, something else has thrown us all for a loop. _

_ It turns out my brother Ryou has sired a child into the womb of his mistress, Lady Lance Alvarez. _

_ The child alone would have come as a shock, but at least an acceptable and expected one, given Ryou’s constant behavior with Omegas over the years. However, he’s taken the matter a step further by biting and mating Lady Lance in secret. Although not a marriage, mating is in some ways even more binding than that. Although Ryou may in theory still marry someone else, we all understand that that is highly unlikely to be possible anymore. Not many would be willing to disgrace their sons or daughters by marrying them to someone who already has a mate, a life partner that they would always be second to as his wife. Even as the Crown Prince of our beautiful Kingdom, there is only so much propriety people can stand to be stretched. _

_ I am not certain what will happen next. My parents have not yet disowned Ryou or made attempts to remove him from the line of succession. Yet, his reckless decision means possible lost alliances for us, alliances we so desperately need at this moment. With Lotor abdicating around the same time, it feels as though we are losing more and more pathways to avoid war with Daibazaal, and the threat of it looms ever heavier on us. Undoubtedly, my parents were hoping that your friendship with Lotor might somewhat diminish the threat of his country upon ours, and now even that chance has been denied to us. _

_ I hate to admit it, but I feel as though I’ve lost some respect for my brother with this decision he has made as well. I have always known Ryou to want to walk his own path, but I never thought he would fall so low and leave his country in trouble like this. I feel the weight of responsibility resting on me heavier now than ever before. Yet I feel as though I cannot tell Ryou this, because I am the only one who can support him right now. _

_ I am just glad I can at least tell you. I truly hope our engagement is not affected by what has happened. I don’t think I could bear to lose the only thing that I feel certain of anymore. _

_ Yours Affectionately, _

_ Takashi _

…

That summer is the busiest one Keith has experienced. When he and Allura are not in meetings with King Alfor and his advisors, they and Lotor are making wedding plans with Coran – whom Lotor has asked to be his best man – Queen Melenor, and the royal wedding planner, Cristal. They take several trips to Oriande over the course of a few months, assessing different color schemes, party favors, cake flavors, and flowers. Naturally, they also visit Allura’s favored tailor, the one who made Keith’s dress for the night he and Takashi got engaged, and commission him to design her wedding gown and the bridesmaids’ dresses. As the Maid of Honor, Keith will also have his own special dress; one that fits in with the other bridesmaids but that also stands out marking him as their “leader.”

Because Allura is the Crown Princess and the wedding has caused something of an uproar once Lotor abdicated, they’re often followed by photographers and journalists whenever they leave the grounds of the Summer Palace. Allura also has to sit down to give more than a few interviews, some with Lotor, some alone, and even some with Keith. He truly hadn’t been prepared for how much work being the Crown Princess’ Maid of Honor would be, and all that it would entail, but seeing Allura glow and smile with such happiness that radiates off her scent makes it all worth it. Keith just hopes he doesn’t make a complete fool out of himself when answering questions, not really used to such matters.

Things get so busy that Keith almost doesn’t have time to think about Takashi or write to him. In a way, it’s a relief to not receive a letter for a while so he doesn’t have one more thing on his plate to do. It is only at night in bed, before he falls asleep, that Keith even has the opportunity to wonder why nothing has arrived for him in a few movements. But he always falls asleep, exhausted, before he can think on it further.

When the next letter finally arrives, it leaves him shocked, breathless, and numb at the breakfast table.

“What is it, Keith?” Lotor asks, ceasing to put jam on his toast. “You suddenly got so pale.”

Keith swallows, trying to clear his throat. He takes a sip of his cup of coffee for good measure in an attempt to calm himself. “Prince Ryou has conceived a child with Lance Alvarez. And he has mated him, too.”

“Show me,” Allura says, holding out her hand.

Keith gives her the letter to read, almost relieved to not have to hold it anymore. He doesn’t even have the strength to sit up straight, finding himself slumping against his seat. “Is this what your Lord Father was referring to when he said he didn’t think he could trust Prince Ryou?”

“If not exactly this, then likely something similar,” Allura says under her breath, her eyes still flying across the words on the letter. “Prince Ryou’s reputation precedes him, after all. He’s known to do as he likes without thinking about the consequences or caring about what anyone else thinks. I suppose something like this happening was only a matter of time.”

Keith swallows around the lump forming in his throat. He doesn’t want to say it, but the more he learns about him, the more he feels like Prince Ryou isn’t the kind of person who should ever be King. But the thought is also painful, because now íf his parents do end up disowning him or removing him from the line to the throne, Takashi will likely be declared as the Crown Prince.

If that happens, Keith knows only two things can happen. Either he still marries Takashi and becomes his Queen, or their engagement will be dissolved, and Takashi will be married off to someone more worthy of the position. Neither option tempts him much, turning into sourness inside his mouth. Keith is well aware that the only reason he was chosen to be Takashi’s wife was because he was the best the Atlassean Royal Family could get for him at the time, and because he would’ve been unlikely to become Queen. But if Takashi becomes the Crown Prince over his brother, he’s sure more Omegas will be much more eager to marry him just for the merits the marriage will give them, regardless of Takashi’s weak health.

“I hope they don’t disown him,” is all he can say in a sigh. “Prince Ryou, I mean.”

“Doesn’t Prince Takashi seem more of the type to be King?” Lotor asks, raising an eyebrow at him. “He’s responsible, sensible, and kind. All good qualities of a King.”

“Yes,” Keith says. “But I’m not exactly material to be Queen. And if Takashi is declared the heir, all our plans will fall apart.”

“I think you’re wrong about that, Keith. About not being good for becoming Queen, I mean,” Allura says, finally looking up from the letter, gently folding it and setting on the table. “You care so much, and you’ve been through some of the worst the common people have experienced in your childhood. You’ve known poverty and hunger, so you can relate to them.”

“But I am not good at politics or mind games,” Keith insists. “Barely becoming a Princess was almost too much for me. If I was Queen…” He shakes his head. “In any case, I don’t think King Noriaki and Queen Rina would ever accept me taking the throne with Takashi. I think that would be pushing a little too far.”

“So you’re more afraid they will try to dissolve your engagement,” Lotor muses sympathetically.

“If they do that, that would be incredibly dishonorable,” Allura huffs. “Even if the engagement hasn’t been announced, the contract of it has still been signed. And that contract is a binding one. Technically, you’re already married through it, even if not in front of witnesses. It would take a lot for them to dissolve something so official.”

Keith hums noncommittally, not wanting to argue, even if he feels like the King and Queen would probably find a way if they really wanted to.

In lieu of speaking, he takes his cup and downs the rest of his coffee. “It’s no use worrying about it now, though, before we know more,” he says. “Let’s just focus on your wedding for the moment.”

Even if he may not be able to do anything about the other things that now hang by a thread thanks to Prince Ryou’s recklessness, Keith will be damned if he lets it affect Lotor and Allura’s marriage. He desperately hopes that if they get far enough in their wedding planning, and with their own engagement already announced to the masses, perhaps Alfor won’t need the reassurance Keith’s children will be in line for the Atlassean throne to see this marriage through. For his honor and for his daughter’s happiness, if for nothing else.

…

_ Dear Takashi, _

_ I was glad to receive your letter. If you permit me to be selfish for a moment, I must also admit I was relieved to hear Prince Ryou hasn’t been disowned by your royal parents and may remain the Crown Prince. At least in this way, things don’t have to change between the two of us. Although I am sad he has let you down like this. I know very well what it feels like to be disappointed and left cold by an older sibling, so you have my deepest sympathies. _

_ For the moment, all I wish for is good health to Lady Lance’s child, for your sake as well. I find it very admirable that you are willing to put aside your disappointment in Prince Ryou to be a good Uncle to his child. Especially when I can’t help but think that child is going to need all the support they can get when they are born. I do, however, wish you didn’t need to push down your own emotions to coddle your brother. You can always talk to me if you feel like you need to get some things off your chest. _

_ Despite the school year starting, there is still so much to decide and organize for Allura and Lotor’s wedding. I am sure you’ve heard they’ve now set the date for the end of next summer. In a way, I am glad I barely have the time to dwell on the fact this will be my final year at the Institute, after having lived here for most of my life. It seems strange that a Seer would dread the future, but as I find myself lacking in visions of late, a part of me can’t help but worry. Leaving the Institute will be a step towards the unknown, something I’ve never experienced before. I’m glad I have my friends’ wedding to look forward to as one clear point in time. I know I should probably be more excited for my own wedding, but that still seems so far away. And I don’t even have a ring on my finger yet! _

_ I’m not sure when I’ll be able to write next with how things are going, but rest assured that I continue to treasure each letter you send me. Your words keep me warm in this growing misery of fall weather. I hope you’ll write to me again soon, so I may fall asleep to your words at night, just before I collapse from exhaustion, and then think and dream about you all night. _

_ Yours Affectionately, _

_ Keith _

…

Despite it being their last year at the Institute, nothing is very different from the earlier semesters when Keith, Allura, and Lotor return to school after the summer. They have slightly more homework and the teachers constantly talk about the final passing exams they will be taking in the spring, before they can get their diplomas, but that’s about it. In-between all of that, the three of them still keep planning the wedding, in constant correspondence with Allura’s parents and Cristal, pouring over catalogues and magazines, and going in for fittings on their days off. Keith barely sleeps for the first few months back, trying to keep up with all of it. And even when he does sleep, he has nightmares about the invitations being delayed or cakes falling apart on top of him.

Takashi’s letters are small glimpses of joy in his busy life, although he feels bad that he can’t always respond as promptly as he’d like. Still, it feels good to be kept in the loop about all the current events and to know their engagement is still going to continue, at least for now.

He finds more time to write to his fiancé over the break for the Celebration of Life, with not having classes. Still, the break is another occasion simply filled with more things to keep him and his friends busy. When they’re not studying for their upcoming exams, they are taste-testing cakes and other menu items for the wedding dinner with Allura’s parents, Coran and Cristal, as well as finalizing the guest list and the invitations, and doing more interviews and photography sessions. They want to get as much done as possible before they have to focus on their exams full-time.

The spring term is indeed mostly filled with studying. They have fewer classes, most of which are for preparing them for the exams. They participate in a few study groups with their classmates, do practice tests and work on both their practical and theoretical skills.

Finally, the season for the exams starts around the time the snow begins to melt. The exams last for several movements. Keith, his friends and classmates all take theoretical exams and practical ones. By the end of it all, Keith knows he will get good marks for the riding exam, the swordfighting exam, and the dance exam for the skills he shows. Even the piece he plays on the piano for Music passes without any major issues. He thinks he does alright with his essays for Politics, and he doesn’t feel like he struggles too much with Mathematics. Even with Magical theory, at least he can say he did his best.

After three movements, the exams are finally all concluded, and all students in their final year are given a movement off from any official activities. Keith spends the first few days mostly sleeping, catching up on missed rest. Afterwards, he, Allura and Lotor quickly get back to wedding planning, now that most invitations have been responded to. Keith is disappointed to find out the Shirogane family have politely declined to come, even if he hadn’t really been expecting anything else. Judging by the way Takashi writes, they’re still not exactly standing behind this union. But he still can’t help but feel like it’s an unfair slight towards his friends, and Keith is also saddened by the fact he won’t be able to see his fiancé again in person like he’d been hoping.

There are a few more classes for the last months of school that are left, but they’re much more leisurely in style, the hard part already behind. Within a month, Keith and his friends get their results and they’ve all passed, including with some high marks on a few subjects. Keith even passed Magical theory, which leaves him with a fluttery, happy feeling in his chest. And at the same time, a somewhat nostalgic, saddened one, knowing getting the results is the first real sign that soon he’ll be leaving all of this behind.

Towards the end of the semester, Keith and his friends all go to their final fittings for their wedding outfits, and also for what they’ll be wearing for their upcoming graduation party. They have rehearsals for how to receive their diplomas from the Institute; on how to walk to the stage at the hall of celebrations and taking the certificates from the Headmaster when their names are called.

Keith, Allura, and Lotor go riding around the grounds for a few final times, walk around the places they’ve come to know and love reminiscing about old times, and start packing up their rooms. Keith visits the stables to say his goodbyes to the horses, his other loyal companions over the years. There are some occasional tears, as how everything is changing hits them, but they hold each other through that. And despite the sadness, there is a sense of pride in what they have accomplished to get to this point. And as days pass on, Keith feels more and more ready to start the next chapter, the next big adventure of his life. To marry, and to work for the cause and freedom of his people. To…to be a mother, even.

When their graduation day finally dawns, warm and bright, Keith and Allura wake up early and head for the showers with the other Omegas. They wash each other’s hair and backs, and head to dry off in their room in their robes. They brush each other’s hair and style them for each other, the way they’ve been doing for years. They get dressed in their uniforms for the last time and start putting on their makeup. They could easily have had a professional come to the Institute to do all this for them, and perhaps the result would’ve been neater for it, but they’d both agreed that doing it for themselves this final time would be more memorable, calming and personal. And it is nice, to get to share these last moments quietly between themselves in the room they’ve called theirs for many years now, even if it’s been stripped bare.

Allura’s parents and Coran are present for the graduation ceremony, and Coran breaks out in tears upon seeing Keith before they all head to their seats. He dabs his eyes with a white embroidered handkerchief before pulling him into a gentle hug.

“I’m so proud of you,” he murmurs into his ear.

That’s when tears start to burn in Keith’s eyes as well, and he blinks fast so they won’t ruin his mascara. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. Thank you for everything, Coran.”

Soon after, everyone is called to the hall of celebrations to take their seats, the graduates at the front, sorted by their subjects as usual, color-coded by their uniforms. The ceremony passes in a blur of speeches from the teachers, music being played, and names being called. Keith claps loud for Allura, is numb when getting his own diploma from the stage and only grateful he doesn’t stumble, and then cheers for Lotor as well. Pictures are taken, flowers are given and received, tears are dried. Allura and Keith’s room is given a few last looks, one final goodbye, and then they leave it empty with their packed bags in hand.

After the drive to Oriande, Keith, Allura and Lotor attend their proper graduation party at the Royal Castle, along with several hundred guests that have come to commemorate the occasion. Keith knows that he’s the one being paid the least attention to, given that the Crown Princess of Altea and her future husband are sharing the party with him, but that suits him more than well. He’s glad to simply have a relaxed time dancing with those who ask him, including his two friends, eating treats on the sidelines and answering a few pleasantries when someone comes and talks with him. And at the end of the day, Keith settles down beside Allura in her room as they’re used to doing, but it feels more important now when they know it’ll be one of the last times they’ll be able to do so. Soon enough, Allura will be sharing with her husband instead.

Overall, Keith goes to sleep that night content with how everything went. The only regret he really has is that Takashi wasn’t able to be present to see him graduate and celebrate with him. But he promises himself to ask Coran to take several copies of the photographs he took over the course of the day, and when they’re developed, he’ll send them to Takashi along with his next letter telling him all about his graduation day.

…

_ Dear Keith, _

_ Congratulations on passing your exams and on graduating. I’m so proud of you for finishing this important chapter in your life, and I am sorry I couldn’t be there for the ceremony. As things are, however, it would’ve been close to impossible for me to leave Atlas, and leave my family. _

_ I am pleased to tell you Lady Lance has given my brother Ryou an Alpha son. His naming ceremony took place a few days ago; a very private, small one. Still, Lance’s family came all the way from Varadero for the occasion, allowing Ryou to meet them for the first time, which I think was good for all of us. Things weren’t nearly as awkward as I expected them to be; they seem very honored Ryou has taken Lance as his mate and had a child with him despite the fact they’re not married. I suppose as the youngest child of a fairly minor noble family, where Lance is now is probably more than they ever could’ve imagined for him. Or perhaps they’re just very open, warm people. _

_ I was touched to learn Ryou wanted to name his son Tadashi after me. In every way, I think Little Tadashi has mended most of the resentment I felt towards my brother. I already love him so much that it is difficult to hand him back over to his parents sometimes. I know he’s very small, but I think I already see features of both Ryou and Lance in him. I am fairly positive he has Ryou’s hair and eyes, but Lance’s complexion and nose. I suppose we’ll see how he grows up to look, but I must say I’m already looking forward to it. Although, I wouldn’t mind if he stayed small and precious like this forever either. _

_ I think I am honestly willing to put nearly everything aside for Tadashi’s sake. I know Ryou wants to make him his heir and marry Lance to make him his Queen. I now want to help him accomplish that, for Little Tadashi’s sake. We will work together to try and soften our parents to the idea. Mother does seem quite taken with Tadashi, so that’s already a good start. We will have time to work on this particular project too, since Tadashi is only a newborn right now. Hopefully, we will succeed. _

_ I will write again soon. I am on nightwatch for my nephew and it sounds like he’s hungry. _

_ Yours Affectionately, _

_ Your Takashi _

…

The final months before the royal wedding stay busy with last-minute details, finishing the seating chart, and making sure everyone knows the schedule for the date and what they need to be doing at any given time and where. Days pass in such a rush that it almost comes as a shock when it is already time to go in for the final fitting of the wedding outfits, decorate and prepare the Summer Palace for the occasion, and welcome the first most intimate guests, including everyone in the wedding party, for the rehearsal dinner. Afterwards, Keith and Allura climb into the same bed for possibly the last time, and despite how important the next day is, they can’t help but stay up talking about their futures and reminiscing about old times. Finally, Keith has to insist they try to sleep properly so they won’t feel absolutely rotten in the morning, stroking Allura’s hair until her breath evens out.

Keith’s face feels numb and his eyes crusted, his head feeling heavy like he’d just fallen asleep when he and Allura are driven up with the dawning sun. He and Allura barely even get time to properly wake up before they’re thrust into the royal baths by servants and hired wedding staff to be scrubbed and scented with oils. Keith can’t help but remember the day spent preparing for the Birthday Celebration of the Atlas Princes with the fuss of it all, but he’s also grateful Allura is the one in the leading role this time around. She enjoys and flourishes within such heavy attention much better than he does. He’s perfectly content on the sidelines, just doing whatever he can to make this day the best of her life, one that she’ll always remember.

Not that Keith has to do much anymore, which is another relief. All the planning is now behind them, and although he’s prepared to deal with any minor or major incidents, for the most part he is able to leave the bulk of things to do to the staff. Allura has people to help her wash in the baths and to help her choose the right scented oils for herself. Keith takes the advice of those more experienced as well, accepting a breezy sort of scent with a touch of something like burned caramel to it. Allura’s oils are more flowery and sweet, accentuating her already summery scent, and applied delicately.

When they get out of the huge tub, they are quickly seated for the many stylists present to start working on their hair, makeup, and even nails. Allura’s toenails get a deep red color and fingernails a soft coat that makes them look neat and shiny. On impulse, Keith asks for his fingernails to be painted black, and after a bit of arguing back and forth, Allura cuts into the stylists ranting and insists they give Keith what he wants. It’s rare that Keith gets to put personal touches to his look, and he’s never really cared that much to do so, but he feels like the nails could add a little more personality and boldness to his appearance. And he finds he really likes the dark shimmer they exude when finished.

All in all, it is a relatively easygoing morning, spent sitting and eating some fruit with Allura. They don’t talk much, simply giving each other meaningful large smiles occasionally. All the words that needed to be expressed have already been said. They’re content to just remain in silence and allow themselves to be pampered.

When the stylists deem their work done, the royal dressers get to work on helping them into their gowns and put the last finishing touches on their overall looks. Keith is helped into his lavender dress with a single-shoulder strap that signals him as the Maid of Honor, his earrings with amethysts in them are added on and a few pearls are stuck into his hair to glimmer like stars in a night sky. He looks fairly nice in the mirror provided for him, in his opinion, and he loves the way his nails accentuate his dark locks.

But when he turns around to face Allura in all her bridal glory, she completely takes Keith’s breath away. Although he’s seen her wedding gown a few times before, even when she’d worn it during fittings, getting to appreciate it with the whole look is something completely different. A few flowers have been put into Allura’s decorative bun, with a silver tiara decorated with purple diamonds crowning her head alongside her veil. A yellow ribbon and blue lace accentuate the collar of her dress and the short puffy sleeves. There are flowers embroidered on the dress, and the full skirts are made of dyed fabric with changing colors that make her look as though she’s dressed in a sunset. Short see-through gloves and heeled shoes complete the look alongside a huge bouquet of red roses.

Keith feels his eyes start to burn as he takes her in. “You’re so beautiful,” he breathes, stepping closer to take her hands into his. “I’m so happy for you, Allura.”

“And I am so glad you’re here, and grateful for everything you’ve done to make this day happen,” Allura sighs, her own eyes looking a bit glazed over, squeezing his hands. “Thank you, Keith. I hope you know how much you mean to me.”

“You mean to me the same,” Keith says, and although they might wrinkle their dresses, they mutually pull each other close to an embrace, and Keith presses a soft kiss to her hair, barely reaching in his shorter heels. “Let’s go get you married.”

Soon Alfor and Melenor come in , having just enough time to sigh and weep over their daughter who has grown so big and is now a beautiful bride on her wedding day, before they have to rush to meet the wedding photographer to take pictures before the actual ceremony. Coran and the other bridesmaids, who have gotten ready in their own quarters and who include some of Keith and Allura’s former classmates from the Institute, join them as well. Coran cries even more than Allura’s parents at the sight of her, and she pulls him into a tight embrace. Keith reaches into his purse, pulling out some tissues – one of the many things he has at hand for emergencies – and hands them over before starting to dab at his own eyes. He’s just glad their stylists had the foresight to put waterproof mascara on them.

Once the pictures have been taken with this particular group of people, Keith holds up his skirt and heads outside to help Cristal welcome the guests and make sure everyone finds their seats on the grounds set for the wedding ceremony. The weather for this first day of the ninth month, Blessed by Life and Love to give Allura and Lotor’s union longevity and good fortune, is great. Warm despite the beginning of fall around the corner and sunny, as if celebrating with them. The 500 guests starting to arrive, each one more impatient than the other, are a difficult, large group to keep organized, but somehow between Cristal, Keith and the servants, they manage to get everyone who has arrived so far seated in a timely manner.

When it seems like things are more under control again, Keith pops back inside to head over to Lotor’s quarters. Even if he’s not Lotor’s Maid of Honor, Keith would never leave his other dear friend completely unattended on his big day. The attendants and stylists are evidently putting final touches on Lotor’s look, brushing his shoulders of any loose hairs in front of the mirror, where Lotor’s handsome reflection gleams in his Altean-style suit. The dark color is a nice contrast to his purple skin tone and white hair, tied up at the base of his neck with a ribbon, as it often is for celebratory occasions. He turns to meet Keith with a smile upon spotting him, and they share a quick but tight embrace.

“Are you ready for this?” Keith asks, looking Lotor up in the eyes.

“I’ve been ready for quite some time,” Lotor says with a warm, happy smile. “Thank you for all that you’ve done, Keith. And thank you for being here.”

Keith chuckles. “Your bride already said something similar. You don’t need to thank me. Just be happy together. That’s all I really want.”

“I’ll do all I can to make Allura happy,” Lotor says. “I promise you that. I wake up every day thinking what I can do today to make her life a bit brighter, a bit easier. I vow I will keep on doing that when we’re married.”

“Good,” Keith says. His cheeks heat up as a thought pops into his head, and he averts his eyes. But he forces himself to blurt out, “Look, I know neither of us has that much experience, but…be gentle tonight as well, alright?”

“I will do all I can to make it a good experience for her. For us both.”

Keith simply nods, content to leave the matter at that. And it is just as well because Coran comes knocking at the door, telling them both to get ready. So Keith gives Lotor one last quick embrace before heading to where he’s being waited for, along with Allura’s other bridesmaids.  He and Allura  give each other encouraging smiles, squeezing each other’s hands one last time.

It only seems to be a matter of a few heartbeats before music begins to play as their cue, and the bridesmaids begin moving out one by one, joining the groomsmen along the aisle, between the many seated guests. As the Maid of Honor, Keith goes in last, happy to walk arm-in-arm with Coran. Coran gives him a quick kiss on the head before they depart at the end of the aisle. Keith smiles at Lotor, looking a bit stiff with nerves as he waits for his bride, but unable to keep a rather goofy grin off his face at the same time. It’s probably the most undignified Keith’s ever seen him, and it is equally amusing as it is heartwarming.

Then, finally, Allura steps out of the bridal tent, walking down the aisle with her parents, and Keith has to reach for a tissue to dab at his eyes again. Lotor’s eyes shine as they look at his bride. Allura’s parents kiss her as they give her away to her groom, and Keith reaches to take the bouquet off her hands. The ceremony itself is a blur of emotions, speeches and tears. Allura and Lotor promise each other everlasting loyalty and love, exchange rings, are pronounced husband and wife. A Prince’s Crown is put on Lotor’s head, and the pair is finally given permission to kiss in front of everyone, in public, unashamed and openly.

Once they’re done kissing, but before the cheers and applause have died down, Keith finds himself being dragged from his position into a group hug with them. They’re all laughing and crying and he’s so happy he feels like he could burst. He holds them both as tight as he can, unable to stop blubbering out sounds that don’t quite make words, but his friends seem to understand anyway. And that only makes him cry harder, until he is handing out tissues constantly between the three of them.

It is only when Keith’s seated at the bridal head table with his friends and the rest of the major members of the wedding party that things start to become a little clearer again. He listens as King Alfor holds a speech and Coran holds a speech, both of them asking Lotor and Allura to take care of each other. They all enjoy the wedding meal to its fullest, alongside the flowing wine that Keith makes sure not to indulge too much in, before it is his turn to make a speech.

“Hello, everyone,” he says, his hands sweating a bit with all eyes on him as he stands tall above the guests. He’s still not the best with dealing with being the center of attention. “I’m the Maid of Honor, Keith, and I’m going to say a few words now.”

“I met Allura and Lotor during our mutual studies at Oriande Institute for Magicians, and I have known and considered both of them my dear friends for many years now. As their friend, I’ve also had the privilege to see from close proximity how they slowly and consistently grew from two good friends into a mutual, joyful and trusting sort of love, in a way that never failed to feel to me as anything but natural and gentle.” He glances down to his side at his friends with a small smile. “I’ve been by their side through their highs and lows, their ups and downs, and with all of that now behind us, and new challenges and joys to be found ahead of us, I can’t express how grateful and glad I am to be here today, celebrating their wedding day.”

He clears his throat a bit. “I don’t have much experience with a love like theirs. In fact, I doubt many of us do, because what they have is so unique and true. Theirs is the sort of love you can count on even in your darkest days, but also one that helps you grow into your best self, while also not putting down the self that you are in this moment. And that sort of love is so vital because it will help us transform our lives, in both big and small ways. It will help us through this journey of our existence we call Life.  And for that, I’d like to raise my glass to Princess Allura and Prince Lotor, on this first day of their new journey as a married couple.”

Keith waits with a baited breath until everyone in the audience has a drink in hand and have lifted them in greeting to him, before taking the first sample sip of his drink. He’s glad for the chance to sit down again afterwards, his legs feeling like lead, but Allura and Lotor’s moved expressions, grateful words and quick hugs make up for any remaining nerves he might have. And he quickly gets other things to think about when Allura and Lotor head off to cut the enormous cake, and then take to the dance floor for the first time as a married couple.

Keith watches them as they gently barely move to the music in their arms, seemingly unable to look anywhere but at each other, occasionally exchanging kisses as they dance. Alongside sipping his wine and eating his plateful of wedding cake, his head is starting to feel a little fuzzy and he loses the track of time for a bit. Until he sees a hand reaching up towards him from across the bridal table from the corner of his eye.

His breath catches when he turns to properly face who it belongs to. “Takashi!”

“Hello, Keith,” his fiancé smiles warmly up at him, dressed in sokutai again, this time with a purple top and black pants, his dark hair slicked back neatly. “May I have this dance, my lady?”

Keith finds himself blushing and grinning wide despite his confusion, his insides flooding with warmth. Takashi seems to look even more handsome than he did a year and a half ago when they last saw each other, and his eyes twinkle kindly as he looks at Keith. Almost adoring. Keith gets up from his seat, rounds the table, and takes his fiancé’s hand.

“It would be my pleasure, my Prince,” he says with a smile.

Takashi gives the back of his hand a polite kiss, before walking with him towards the dance floor, and starting to lead him to the gentle, romantic music being played.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Keith says, moving along with him. “Didn’t your family refuse to come because they oppose this marriage? And you didn’t write to me either…”

“I’m sorry, I wanted to surprise you. I sent a private word to Princess Allura that I would be coming to represent my family and country here, but I asked her not to tell you,” Takashi says, his expression softly apologetic. “I hope you’re not angry with me?”

“I was just surprised,” Keith says, giving him a smile. “I’m glad you’re here, even if your family isn’t.”

“I am happy as well, Keith,” Takashi says, returning his smile in a way that makes Keith’s stomach flutter. “I really wanted to see you. But I also have something I need to discuss with you, and I felt it best we did it in person. Do you know anywhere we can go to talk?”

“We can go out to the lake,” Keith says. “I don’t think anyone will be there right now. And if there is, we can go inside the lake house for added privacy. I’ve been there many times.”

Takashi nods, before dipping Keith up and down, and leaving his world spinning a little. “We’ll go once this song ends, but as discreetly as possible.”

They dance  out the rest of the tune in silence, Keith’s thoughts swimming over what could be going on, even as he can’t help but enjoy the warmth and closeness of Takashi’s body or his shiver-inducing scent overtaking his nostrils. Once the song comes to an end, Takashi bows to him and Keith curtsies, and they slowly head away from the dance floor and out of the open glass doors of the ballroom.

Keith is right in that there is no one in sight at the lake, and he and Takashi settle under the familiar tree, using the strong roots as pseudo-seats so as not to dirty their clothes. Despite the somewhat tense mood, Keith finds himself relaxing a bit more for being here, the familiar scent of pure water in his nose, mixing up with the breeze telling of a summer coming to an end. The wind softly rustling in the branches, and the late afternoon sun creating a soft glow around them.

Still, knowing they didn’t just come here to admire the scenery, he forces himself to ask, “What did you wish to talk about?”

Takashi’s expression grows serious, his brows almost a frown. “We’ve received vital new intel from Daibazaal. They are preparing for an attack, soon. We have a reason to believe they will try a full-on invasion on Atlas.”

All the warm joy of the day so far feels like it slips away in an instant, only leaving room for a cold hand to grip tightly on Keith’s heart. He swallows around his suddenly dry throat, trying to gather himself. “What are you planning to do?”

“To start with, now that you’ve officially graduated, my parents wish to speed up our marriage,” Takashi says. “We need to solidify our alliance with Marmora once and for all through our match. We need all the help we can get, and the sooner we can get it the better. We also…” He clears his throat, and Keith can see his cheeks flush in the soft light. “We need more royal heirs, in case the worst comes to pass.”

Keith feels his own cheeks heat up, but he forces himself to composure, to rationality. “How soon?”

“You’re wanted in Atlas within a month, once you’ve properly sent your friends to their honeymoon,” Takashi says. “We will start making wedding plans immediately, and marry in winter.”

Keith nods, licking his lips in thought. “Thank you for coming all this way to tell me.”

“It’s not all I came to do here,” Takashi says, jumping to his feet from the root he’s been sitting on, and reaching for the inside lapels of his sokutai.

When he pulls it out, his hand is in a fist, but Keith can still see the small velvet box he is clutching, and his breath catches as he sees the Alpha get down on one knee in front of him. “I thought we should finally do this properly.”

Takashi holds the box out in his palm, pulling it open. The ring inside is beautiful, sparkling in the reflected light of the lake, but simple. White gold, with uneven ridges on one side, making it resemble a tiny crown.

“Lady Keith Kogane,” Takashi says, breathless, and with his eyes glowing warmly. “Will you do me the honor of accepting this ring and with that, my offer of marriage, to become my Princess?”

Keith laughs,  even as a few tears slip onto his cheeks he closes his eyes and covers his mouth. “Idiot, you already know the answer. You didn’t need to ask me twice.”

“I think I do,” Takashi says, though his cheeks grow even more flustered. “We’ve been exchanging letters for months now, and with each one, I’ve come to feel even more certain about our union. Through our correspondence, we’ve come to know each other. And now, this truly won’t just a marriage between our people and families, but between us, too.”

His throat bobs with a swallow. “I find myself…falling in love with you, Keith. That’s why I wanted to ask you again, with a proper ring, and as myself. As just Takashi, rather than as a Prince.”

Keith’s throat closes up, and more tears spill out from sheer emotion that he simply can’t hold in. He knows he must look ridiculous, but he can’t bring himself to care. With shaky fingers, he reaches for tissues once again, wiping at his eyes, trying to compose himself.

“I…I feel the same way,” he chokes out. “And of course, yes, I accept your proposal. Again.”

Takashi’s smile up at him is radiant, and Keith can feel his hands shaking alongside his as he slips the ring onto his finger. He turns his hand towards the sunlight, admiring the way it sparkles. How it makes everything feel so much more real.

“It’s a beautiful ring,” Keith sighs.

“I’m glad you like it,” Takashi sighs, getting to his feet and settling beside him. “You’re not my only penpal. I’ve been talking with Princess Allura for a while now, actually. She said you’d appreciate a simpler design, but one that was also meaningful in some way.”

“She was right,” Keith says, shifting a bit closer until he’s wrapped in the warmth of his fiancé, pressing his head on his strong chest.

Takashi’s big hands are large and steady on his back, as always. “You look beautiful, by the way. I didn’t get a chance to say that earlier. I really like your nails.”

“Thank you,” Keith says, looking him up in the eyes. “You’re very handsome as well. Although you kind of always are…”

“So are you,” Takashi says softly, reaching up to tuck a bit of hair behind Keith’s ear, placing his hand to cradle his cheek after. “Keith…may I kiss you?”

Keith’s heart leaps up to his throat, and he’s suddenly even more grateful to be leaning against Takashi as his knees buckle. But he manages to murmur, “You may. Of course you may.”

Takashi leans down slowly, and Keith stands on his tiptoes to meet him, until their lips meet for the first time in a tender, gentle touch. Keith swears he sees fireworks behind his eyelids, feels electricity run through his veins from the contact. Takashi’s lips are warm and soft, and he’s patient and kind both in the way he kisses and how he holds Keith, giving them time to enjoy the moment and the closeness it brings.

As Takashi begins stroking his back, a few moments into the kiss, Keith feels something wet move to touch his lips. With a little surprised gasp, he realizes it’s Takashi’s tongue, now slowly entering his own mouth.  He’s learned about this in Health class, and the idea always sounded a little weird to him, but now with Takashi, it somehow only feels good and natural. His fiancé is still patient, moving his tongue gently inside Keith’s mouth, leaving traces of the wedding cake’s taste in his wake as he explores seemingly every nook and cranny.

Keith’s head is spinning and his heart is pounding like a drum in his ears, and he’s unable to stop the small noises that keep escaping his throat, as if pulled out by Takashi. They only seem to make Takashi clutch at him tighter, and Keith finds his courage there to slowly start moving his own tongue against his, testing the movement and the touch until he’s completely lost in the sensation, all else around him vanishing.

Before he can grow too excited though, Takashi slowly pulls his tongue back, and then puts a bit more distance between them, breathing hard as they come apart. His face is as red as Keith feels his own is, a bit of sweat gathered on his brow. He licks his lips, almost as if chasing Keith’s taste, and the thought makes him blush even deeper.

Takashi leans back in to press a playful kiss to Keith’s nose. “We should probably go back in before people notice we’re gone and start talking.”

Keith swallows, his head still fuzzy from all the new emotions swirling through him. A part of him just wants to stay here and be with Takashi. They could kiss and talk a little bit more. And maybe Keith could blame on the wine how he’d want to go for a swim, heated up and sweaty after a long day, and strip to his undergarments to go into the lake. And Takashi could follow him and Keith could see and touch his bare chest, as Takashi would give his body, visible through the sheer wet fabric, long, heavy, heated looks. And maybe he would take Keith into his arms and carry him to the lake house…

Takashi’s cough brings him back from his musings. “We should avoid the temptation to do something unsavory before we’re wed.”

Keith feels his blush tingle all the way up in his ears, realizing only now that his underwear is wet with his arousal, his cunt pulsing in them with heat. Takashi must be able to smell it. And as Keith takes in a whiff of the breeze coming from his direction, he realizes there is a spicy undertone to Takashi’s scent as well, one that makes his cunt throb and head spin.

He shakes himself out of his stupor. “That’s probably for the best.”

Takashi smiles at him, offering Keith his arm. Keith takes it, grateful for the support on his wobbly legs, and allows his fiancé to lead him back to the wedding celebrations without any more fuss, using the walk over to clear his head. He’s never felt anything like this before. Never experienced such an overwhelming desire, even in heat. He briefly hopes it won’t trigger his heat, actually, since due to stress Keith hasn’t had one in a while. But mostly, rather than frighten him over what could’ve happened, the lust in him thrills him instead. It seems like marriage might be a little fun after all, and in ways he didn’t even know existed.

He looks forward to finding out more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can view Allura in her wedding look [here](https://iwonn-arts.tumblr.com/post/628703949539704832/allura-commission-for-ninamyylly-for), in Iwonn's art piece which I commissioned 💗.


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the epilogue and the final chapter of this "prologue" fic. It feels incredible we've made it this far. I've been writing this fic for so long now too. It feels very appropriate that I'm finishing it just before the year changes. 
> 
> Here's to 2021! 🥳. Thank you all for sticking with me so far! I can't say when I'll start posting the sequel, because I haven't even started writing it yet and have another project for a different, older fandom I feel the urge to finally put out into the world as well. But we'll (hopefully) get there 😘.

Keith spends the remainder of the wedding celebrations dancing, conversing and laughing with his fiancé. He catches Allura’s eye a few times, and she smiles and winks at him. Keith returns the gestures with a nod, his heart full of happy warmth. He can’t help but occasionally glance at his ring, amazed by its sleek design and shine in the dimming light of the day. He’s excited to show it off to his friends, but for the moment hides it in their presence. This is their day. He shouldn’t draw unnecessary attention to himself during it. He’ll have plenty of time to be fawned over later.

The night finally ends with the wedding party walking and settling Allura and Lotor into their marriage bed, murmuring a few prayers and blessings for a lasting, fruitful union. Keith gives them a quick wave before he hurries out of the room. The thought of his friends and intimacy in the same sentence is still a strange, uncomfortable one. He also feels weary on his feet, and a little dizzy. So despite the sweet sorrow over the fact this wonderful day has to come to an end, Keith is grateful to be able to retire to his own bed after a quick kiss goodnight with Takashi. He only takes the time to take off his shoes and gown and to wash the makeup off his face, before he climbs into bed in just his undergarments. He feels strangely overheated anyway, so he doesn’t feel the need to put on a nightdress.

He wakes up early in the morning to sweat-soaked skin, shivers, and throbbing in his cunt.

A little embarrassed, Keith calls for a maid to bring him some remedies for his sudden heat. Afterwards, he takes a seat in front of the desk to write letters to Allura and Lotor, and to Takashi, to apologize for not being able to see them off. He’s only grateful that despite Takashi’s effect on him, Keith was able to get through the whole wedding without triggering his heat. He’s not sure he would’ve been able to hold back if it had hit while he was in close proximity to his fiancé. As he writes his letter, he wonders if Takashi will be able to smell his heat scent on the paper and is only barely able to resist shoving his hand down his undergarments with how the thought pulses through him.

He somehow manages to finish the letters, asking the returning maid to deliver them, before settling back in bed with the provided remedies and losing himself in the haze of pleasure, thinking of Takashi. At least the return letter from his fiancé reassures him a little, even if it also sends him blushing. Evidently the thought of Keith in heat so close to him was more than a little provocative for him.

Keith is grateful to be able to leave the Summer Palace soon after his fever goes down. The thought of having spent his heat there is almost too embarrassing to handle, sending him blushing and wanting to hide. He can’t look Alfor and Melenor in the eyes as he and Coran say their goodbyes.

It is nice to return to Coran’s house again as well. Keith settles back into his old room for the time being, but he doesn’t bother unpacking, knowing he’ll be leaving soon enough anyway. Rather, he prepares the space properly for his approaching departure, finally going through his closet of old clothes. Many of them are far too small for him now, even if each piece holds important memories for him. But he can’t drag his whole past with him to Atlas, even if the thought of getting rid of many of his old dresses makes his eyes burn. He donates most of them, as they’re still in good condition, and packs up the ones he can still wear at the Atlas Court.

He and Coran also make plans for the journey, and even talk about ideas for Keith’s upcoming wedding. The talks leave Coran both animated and with a saddened twinkle in his eye, even when he coos over his engagement ring.

“I always knew the day you’d leave me to marry would come eventually,” Coran sighs one evening, when they’re sitting by the fire to ward off the ever chillier night air. “I didn’t expect it to be so soon, or so suddenly.”

“None of us did,” Keith says softly, his eyes set on the play of the flames. “But I think I’ll be alright, even if I am sad to leave Altea. Takashi is a good man, and I already care for him very much. I think we can be happy together.”

“It puts me at ease to hear you say that,” Coran says, giving him a soft, sad smile. “I just can’t help but worry. I suppose this is how every parent feels when their child leaves the nest.”

Keith feels his cheeks heat up, even if this isn’t the first time Coran has said something similar, insinuating that he feels like Keith’s parent. Which he has been, for the better part of his life. And Keith is grateful. He loves him, has said such many times as well. Now he only returns the sentiment with a warm smile.

“I was thinking, actually,” Coran continues. “How would you feel if I came with you to Atlas, at least for the first few months until you adjust?”

Keith’s eyes widen. “I…but…don’t you have work?”

“I am sure the King wouldn’t mind the idea of me working as an ambassador to Atlas during my time there, bettering our relationship to them,” Coran says with a warm smile. “Besides, I haven’t taken time off in a while. I think he can grant me this much to help you along. That is, if you don’t find the idea of me coming with you to be too much?”

Keith swallows, his throat suddenly dry, his eyes burning. His chest feels tight with emotion. The thought of Coran helping him to start his new life as a Princess, just like he did when Keith became a lady…it is more than he could’ve ever asked for. “I…I would love it if you came. If you can.”

Coran grins widely. “Then it is settled.”

…

_ Dear Keith, _

_ Lotor and I are terribly sorry that we were not able to see you efore we left for our honeymoon, due to your heat. I hope you have recovered well, and that you had a good time with Prince Takashi, nonetheless. Rest assured, we will be returning in time to say our goodbyes to you before you must go to Atlas. I want to hear all about your night with Prince Takashi, especially since I noticed the two of you disappeared for a while. I hope you were not doing anything untoward? _

_ I am joking, of course. I will not tell if you did, I promise. _

_ Lotor and I are doing very well here at the Lodge Manor. It is quite small and private, but we prefer it that way, as that also means there are a minimal number of servants. We are enjoying the privacy, finally not having my parents around to fuss, meaning we can just focus on one another. The servants make themselves scarce as well, so it almost feels like it is just the two of us. I must admit I quite like that. It is much easier to be together as newlyweds in this way, to talk and spend time without people hovering over us. _

_ We are doing our best to make the most of the last warm days before fall comes. I must admit we spend most of our days in the bedroom, but we also take time to step outside every day. We sit in the gardens, go for walks, and ride horses around the plentiful fields. Sometimes we even take picnics outdoors. The food here is simple in a rustic way, but very natural, earthy and delicious. I believe you would enjoy it. _

_ I rather hate we never came here before, with you, and now it is probably too late. I wish we had more time, but I know that is something outside any of our control now. I am just glad that you have found happiness in your duty, as I have found it despite my own. _

_ Lotor and I will see you soon. Take care until then. _

_ Your Friend Forevermore, _

_ Allura _

…

A few movements pass in a flurry of packing and preparations for Keith and Coran’s journey. Keith barely has the time to read and respond to Allura’s letters between all of that. He hasn’t received one from Takashi in a while, but he figures it is alright, since they’ll see each other soon enough. He just hopes that is the only reason for the lack of correspondence.

There are only a few days until Keith is to leave for Atlas with Coran, when he comes down to breakfast and becomes immediately frozen in his tracks. King Alfor is in Coran’s informal dining room, along with Allura and Lotor, who weren’t due back from their honeymoon quite yet.

A sudden cold sense of dread settles in the pit of Keith’s stomach, choking his throat. “What is going on?”

A few tears slip down Allura’s cheeks as she bites her lip, and she walks to the other side of the table to pull him into an embrace in a flurry of apologies that Keith can’t make a sense of. Lotor moves in as well, wrapping them both in his arms, as if to offer comfort to them both. None of that eases the horrible feeling of  _ wrong _ settling over Keith.

“I am so sorry to have to tell you this, Keith, but I thought it best you heard it directly from me,” King Alfor speaks, his voice grim and low as Keith lifts his chin to face him over the shoulders of his friends. “Kerberos, the Capital of Atlas, was invaded two nights ago. It was a sneak attack, and a few quick assassins snuck into the Royal Palace while the regular army brought on chaos in the city.”

Keith’s breath catches, and he’s suddenly glad his friends are holding him, because otherwise he thinks he would’ve fallen down to his knees in numbing shock. “What…what happened? Is Takashi alright?”

Alfor’s expression falls even further. “I’ve received word from one of our own spies placed in Kerberos and the Royal Palace there. The entire royal family was slaughtered.”

Keith’s heart stops in his chest.

“Prince Takashi’s body wasn’t found with the others,” he barely hears the King say over the pounding in his head. “But I can’t imagine he survived. And even if he did…”

Keith can’t hear anything more, only feeling despair settle in as his hot, desperate tears and sobs escape him. Everything becomes a blur around him, and he feels like he’s suddenly outside of his body, looking down on himself but unable to control anything. He thinks he hears someone screaming from the pits of their lungs. It might be himself.

Thoughts of Takashi, images of him the way Keith remembers him, flash over his eyes, beautiful and painful. He can hear the ring of his voice in his ears, feel the way his warm hands and gentle lips touched his own. He’s drowning, and he can’t breathe.

“Prince Takashi managed to send you a final letter preceding the attack,” King Alfor’s voice cuts through the heavy mist, if only barely. Keith sees him hold up a folded piece of paper. “It is here for you, if you want it.”

Keith watches as he sets it down on the table, sliding it forward a bit with a light touch of two fingers. Somehow, looking at it, his tears start to dry and slowly, alongside sorrow, a burning rage begins to take root in his chest.

“They’ll pay,” he hisses through his teeth. “All of Daibazaal will pay. I won’t let them get away with this.”

Allura and Lotor only hold him tighter, saying nothing. Keith’s fairly certain they don’t believe him, that they think he’s just saying things out of grief, to make himself feel better. But he’s made up his mind. He doesn’t care if he has to do it alone. No matter what, Daibazaal will pay.

He will make sure of it, one way or another. No matter how long it’s going to take.

…

_ Dear Keith, _

_ This letter won’t have any of my official seals and I’m not sending it through any of our usual methods, but rather borrowing Matt’s carrier bird to deliver it. It is the only way I can be sure it reaches you without someone, anyone, trying to prevent it from making its journey. Including my own parents. _

_ What I write here may count as treason, since I am going against my royal parents’ wishes. As Prince, I know what I am about to tell you should never leave my pen. Perhaps I am betraying everyone with the words I’m about to put down, just like my brother did with his affair with Lady Lance. But as Takashi, I can’t just sit still and let you walk into danger, so you must listen to me. _

_ You can’t come to Atlas. We’ve received intel that the Galra plan to invade Kerberos. We’ve strengthened the guardship around the city and the Palace, and basically locked ourselves in here, but it doesn’t look good. I am not sure what will happen to any of us. My parents still hold onto faith and want you to come here, to a near-certain death, so we can marry and uphold the alliance between Marmora and Atlas. I’ve fought with them over the matter so many times by now, but they won’t budge. Therefore, I had to act of my own volition and warn you. _

_ I can’t tell you more for the safety of all of us. But I must repeat:  _ _ Do not come here _ _. At least that way, if the worst comes to pass, I’ll know you’ll remain safe in Altea. I hope you know I love you, and I’ll be thinking of you to my last moments, no matter when they might be. I don’t have any regrets, except that I know I will never marry you now, or hold children with your beautiful eyes and rosy lips. You deserve more than to walk into danger blind. I want you to live on, and be happy, no matter what that may mean for you going forward. Therefore, consider this letter your official release from our engagement. _

_ All My Affection, _

_ Your Very Own Takashi, _

_ Second Prince of Atlas, of the Shirogane Family _

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we have it. I know, I'm evil 😈.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Twitter [here](https://twitter.com/ninamyylly).


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